Return of the First
by VoidWalker45
Summary: During a LAN party, a group of friends are drawn into the world of Minecraft. Challenged by Herobrine, our group will meet new friends and enemies, unravel science and magic, and discover that they aren't what they seem. Once the year is done, will they leave or will they stay, obtaining unknown power. Rated M for language, violence, and some sexual content. This is my first story.
1. Prologue

_**Welcome**_**_ to my first story! I'm new to this, so don't flame too harshly. Feel free to leave your opinions down below. I will not be accepting suggested OCs! However, I may be at a later date._**

**_ DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft or any mods in this story! I only own the OCs._**

Let me start the story by introducing myself. My name is Cage, Cage Destrin. I am about 6'5", I have long dark blonde hair, and eyes that shift color. Before everything that happened I was what most would call an outcast. I never really fit into a specific clique, though at first glance most people would say I'm a jock. I have an athletic build, despite the fact that I don't play sports that often, but as they say, looks can be deceiving. In reality, I'm much more of a gamer than anything, spending my free time playing online with my friends. Of course, when I'm not playing online, I'm out helping my friend, Gabriel Wright, practice lacrosse. Gabe is much more athletic than me, a slightly bulkier build, cropped black hair, brown eyes, and a hit that could rival a train. Sports weren't his favorite thing, however, as Gabe is a huge fan of explosives, blowing things to smithereens every chance he got. His love for explosives matches his attitude as well, as he's kind and gentle, but the littlest thing can set off his explosive temper. I've known Gabe for a long time, and there have been only 2 instances of his temper going off, both of them being over an apple. Now before you think he's crazy let me explain. Apples are his favorite food, to the point that it's almost all he eats. So if someone takes one from him, it will be similar to taking food away from a hungry dog. Gabe is just one of my many friends in my group. First there's Vincent. Vince is a calm, collected kind of guy. He's generally nice to everyone, but the moment someone steals from him or harms his friends, he will go apeshit. Next there's Robert. Roberts kinda the comic relief of our group, always cracking jokes to lighten the mood and constantly ready to party. Next is Jack. He's a great guy, kind, caring, and easy to trust. Then there's Erica. She's a nice person but she doesn't take shit from anyone who would hurt her friends. Then there's Peter. He's kinda sporadic and jumpy, always on the move. Finally, there's Shade. How to describe him...well, first like most of my friends, he's a good guy, but he's incredibly dark. His sense of humor makes everyone, except me, cringe as his jokes border insanity. Plus, like everyone, he will beat down anyone who hurts or steals from his friends, however, he will damn near torture his target, considering he has a sadistic streak a mile wide. But enough about everyone, back to the real story.

It was a normal late summer day, school had just let out for the week, and my friends and I were discussing tonight's Minecraft party.

"Okay," I said making sure everyone was listening, "we need to decide what mods we want to put in this week's party. As everyone knows, I vote for Ars Magica 2, Thaumcraft, and the Tekkit mod pack." Gabe laughed when I finished, nearly falling out of his chair.

"What's so funny?" I asked confused.

"Dude do you realize how opposite those mods are?", he asked still chuckling a bit, "Why would you want two magic mods and one science one?"

"Well," I started, glaring at him, "the magic mods are to add a new sort depth to the world, while the Tekkit mod pack will give me access to the Quarry block, allowing me to research more often."

"Make sense." Gabe said, shrinking a bit from my glare.

"Ok, so you all know my vote, what do you guys choose?" I asked. Shade was the first to respond.

" I vote the Necromancy Mod and the Dismemberment Mod." he said with a evil grin on his face. Everyone looked at him like he was insane, except for me, as I was chuckling to myself.

" Of course you would, Shade. I'd be worried if you chose anything else." I said, desperately trying to hold back a fit of demented laughter. Vincent spoke up next.

"Why not add in Tinker's Construct and the mod that adds in more ores in the Nether?" he said. Everyone's eyes lit up when he said this.

"Dude that is a great idea!" Gabe said excitedly. "I love Tinker's Construct! As for the mods I choose, I choose Elemental Creepers, More TNT, and the Voltz mod pack, the last one mostly because I know how much Cage loves that mod pack." I looked at him, smiling.

"Thanks man," I said, "I appreciate it, but I know for a fact why you really want that mod pack and I'll be in control of any antimatter we make." I finished, smirking at Gabe's disheartened look, which caused everyone to laugh. I looked towards Jack and Erica, raising my eyebrow, silently asking the question I have already asked so many times.

"I want the Witchery Mod." Erica said in a rather matter-of-fact kind of voice.

"I want any mod that adds more food types. I'm tired of there only being bread and meat." Jack said.

"Fair enough." I said, shrugging. "What about you Peter?"

"I want Flans Gun mod." he said. I looked over to Robert who had a sly grin on his face.

"I want the Mob Talker Mod." he said. This took us all by surprise, considering we figured he'd want to add in the Trolling Mod or something.

"Okay...well then it's decided." I said clapping my hands together, "I'll get to work on putting the mods together and setting up the world you guys get the snacks together and we'll meet at Shade's house, agreed?" I looked at everyone to see them nod. We went our separate ways and went home. Once I got home I sat down at my computer and started working on putting the mods together, deciding to add Minefactory Reloaded, The Twilight Forest, The Aether and a few other mods to the list. I took about 3 hours to find all the mods and put them all into one pack. Putting them all onto a flash drive, I left my house without telling my parents bye considering they generally acted like I didn't exist. It took me maybe 15 minutes to get to Shade's house. I knocked on the door and was greeted with a bear hug from Shade. I laughed as he damn near crushed my ribs.

"Damn dude," I said between gasps of breath, "was that really necessary?" He just shrugged and motioned for me to come inside. I followed gladly putting the bag that held my laptop and mouse on his couch and tossed him the flash drive. He nodded and plugged it into his computer, downloading the massive mod pack. He looked at the list of mods with wide eyes.

"Holy shit!" he exclaimed, not taking his eyes off his computer screen, "I didn't realize that the pack would be this big!" I laughed at his reaction.

"Tell me about it man, you weren't the one who had to put this behemoth of a pack together."

"How long did it take you?"

"Roughly 3 hours, give or take a few minutes."

"Damn dude," Shade shook his head, "I couldn't do that." I laughed a little at his sympathy.

"What's this, does the almighty and unholy Shade actually have emotions!?" I contorted my face in mock fear. "Dear lord, it the end of the world! Run for your lives!" I screamed as I slowly ran for the door.

"Fuck you, man." Shade said between fits of laughter. The mod pack finished downloading onto his computer, after which he handed the flash drive back to me. A few minutes afterward everyone else arrived with a plethora of snacks. Gabe tossed me a huge bag of salt and vinegar chips, for which I promptly thanked him and told him bribing me to let him have the antimatter won't work. He looked at me like I crushed his dreams, causing everyone to burst into laughter. After everyone downloaded the mod pack, we cracked open some sodas and settled in to start our party.

"You guys ready?" I asked with a huge grin on my face. I got a loud cheer in response. "Then let's get started!" I exclaimed, opening our personal server. Once we all logged in we immediately got to work. Robert went with Gabe and Jack to start on collecting wood to build our house. Shade, Vincent, and I got to work on hunting and slaughtering some of the animals around our area to get some food. Erica and Peter went around trying to collect some seeds so we could start a farm. By the time the sun was about to set Gabe, Jack, and Robert had built a large three story home for us, all the furniture included (for I added the Furniture Mod as well). Shade, Vincent, and I got 10 feathers and chicken, 5 steak, 6 leather, 15 porkchops, and enough wool for us all to have a bed. Erica and Peter got 10 Wheat seeds for all their toils, causing us to laugh. We all figured it to be best to sleep the night off to avoid any nasty run-ins with the creatures of the night. We had our avatars move up to our rooms, only to see what seemed like a player in the basic Steve skin. We all looked at each other and looked back to the unknown player. I opened the chat log to see if someone logged in without me noticing and, much to my surprise only our names popped up on the log. So I decided to try to contact the player.

"Hey, who are you." I typed in to chat. The moment I hit enter, the server crashed.

"What the fuck!" Peter exclaimed.

"What the hell is this about!?" I asked furiously. My laptop was not one to crash, as the mod pack was small compared to some of the other programs I ran on it. I attempted to reboot the server but all I got was a purple screen that seemed to swirl like a Nether portal.

"Huh?" I said confused as hell. "Are you guys seeing this?" I looked over to my friends only to see the same look of confusion on their faces. I looked back at my laptop, staring, mystified, at the swirling, purple screen. It seemed to grow in size until it took up my entire field of view. The swirling grew faster and faster, causing me to become light-headed. Shortly afterwards, I blacked out.

-Prologue End-

**_ So, what'd you think? I figured the entrance to Minecraft was a good touch. Who knows what could happen in the next chapter! (though I'm sure you can guess) _**


	2. Chapter 1

_**Whelp**__,__** here we are. Chapter 1 of "The Return of the First"! I hope you enjoyed my prologue and enjoy the many chapters to come. Feel free to leave a review, but easy on the flaming!**_

**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft or any mods involved. I only own the OCs._**

-Cage's POV-

I awoke on what felt like a hardwood floor, which is odd considering Shade's house had carpeting. I opened eyes so I could get a good look at my surroundings. I was in a hallway, wood walls, a wood floor, and stairs just in front of me. I stood up and walked down the stairs to see a room that looked like a living room/kitchen area. I took in my surroundings and walked out the front door and turned to look at the building. What I saw caused my jaw to drop. The house was the exact same as to the one we had built in Minecraft! I ran back inside and ran back up the stairs to where my friends were still sleeping, shaking them awake.

"Guys, wake up!" I said frantically. "Wake the fuck up, guys! I think we are in some deep shit!" Shade was the first awake, followed by everyone else.

"Dude, calm down." Robert said, not understanding the gravity of our situation. "What do you mean by 'deep shit'?"

"For starters, how have you guys not noticed the fact that we are not in Shade's house!?" I asked angrily. They all looked around, realizing that we were indeed not at Shade's home.

"What the hell!?" Shade exclaimed. "Where are the fuck are we!?"

"I was getting to that." I said as calmly as possible. "Follow me." I led them outside and gestured to the house. "Look familiar?" I asked. My friends look at the house with disbelief.

"No way..." Gabe said, voice laced with disbelief.

"This is...impossible." Robert said, eyes filled with fear.

"Does this mean we're in...Minecraft?" Vincent asked.

"I...I think so." I said, trying to figure out how we got here. I thought back to what happened to the night before, back to the swirling purple screen and to the mysterious player who had invaded our server. I quickly became frustrated at our plight.

"GOD DAMN IT! I CAN'T MAKE HEADS OR TAILS OF THIS!" I yelled, pissed off.

"Maybe I can help clarify the situation." said a voice behind us. We spun around to see a man with white irises and pupils. We all gasped as we recognized the figure.

"Herobrine..." I heard Jack hiss. The man chuckled at the sound of his name.

"Indeed, little human." Herobrine said with an evil grin. "I am indeed Herobrine."

"What do you want with us, you monster?" Erica said while she trembled in fear. I looked at all my friends, each one of them had eyes full of fear. I looked back at Herobrine as he started to speak.

"Why, your here to be part of my experiment!" The evil deity said, voice full of a sadistic mirth.

"Experiment?" I asked, shaking a bit. "What kind of experiment?"

"To see if you frail humans can survive in this world."

"Fuck you, you sadistic bitch!" Peter shouted all of the sudden. I looked at him like he was crazy.

"Silence!" Herobrine screamed. Suddenly, an invisible force slammed us up against the wall of the house.

"Alright, alright, I'll participate, just...don't hurt my friends." Peter said, defeated.

"There, now that that's settled," Herobrine said, releasing us, "your test is to survive one year here in this world. If you manage to do so, you may return to your world."

"Minecraft time or earth time?" Shade asked.

"I've actually altered the flow of time here so it's seems like earth time" Herobrine said.

"Fair enough," I said, "is there anything we should know?"

"Two things:" Herobrine started, "One: This world is the server you were playing on before I brought you here," I smiled at this, " and two: If you die, you're dead." My friends and I looked at each other, smiled, and looked back at the deity before us.

"Alright, Herobrine, we'll play your game." Robert said.

"Excellent! Well my little guinea pigs, see you in a year!" Herobrine said, disappearing in a puff of smoke. We all looked at each other, stayed silent for a bit, then busted out laughing. What Herobrine didn't realize is that on the world we had made, I had already created a chest, stocked with material, mainly the basic stuff like iron, redstone, and food, but it would be enough to get us off the ground.

"Well guys," I started, looking around at the group, smiling, "we maybe stuck here a while, but since we're here, let's have some fun!" I said, raising a cheer from my friends. We were gonna beat Herobrine's experiment and get back home, even if it meant putting our lives on the line.

-Chapter 1 End-

**_ Sorry this one is so short, but I can promise the next one will be much longer. I hope you're enjoying my story so far, and will continue to read on as I write. _**


	3. Chapter 2

_**Here it is! Chapter 2! As promised, this is much longer than the previous one, so enjoy and feel free to review.**_

_** DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft, I'm writing a story.**_

-Gabe's POV-

About a month has passed since Herobrine issued his challenge, and we were off to a good start. Cage had started making a stable power source using solar and wind power, Shade was out gathering materials for a quarry, Vincent was busy working on our forge, Robert was caring for the farm, Erica, Peter, and Jack were out hunting animals for some meat, and I was out in my personal apple orchard. Thanks to Cage putting in so many mods, there were a ton of different apples trees added in to our world, much to my delight. Hell, there were your average Minecraft apples, Granny Smith apples, even spicy apples, which Cage loves. I even have a tree that grew golden apples, I only needed a tree that threw Notch apples and my collection would be complete. I was going through my orchard, slamming my fist into the side of my trees, causing the delicious fruit to fall to the ground. Looking at the tree smiling, I bent down and started picking up the fruit and placing in its respective basket.

'Looks like 3 bushels of Granny Smith today.' I thought to myself, picking up an apple. "Well, give or take an apple or two." I chuckled. I chowed on the apple, enjoying its tart flavor. I put the bushels in the cart I had with me, and drug it along with me as I walked towards my golden apple tree. I grabbed a small basket, as the tree never produced more than half a dozen at a time, and climbed up the tree. I began hunting through the branches finding seven golden apples on the first branch, much to my surprise. I continued hunting finding two more apples, but stopped when I saw movement underneath the tree. I stayed quiet, fearing it was a Spider or some other dangerous mob. I crept along my branch, watching for movement, spotting a flash of green near my cart.

'Oh, fuck me!' I screamed in my head. 'There's a fucking creeper near my cart! How the hell am I gonna get out of this one!?' I edged closer to an opening near my cart so I could get a better look at my adversary. I looked through the opening only to see a gloved hand grab hold of a Granny Smith and run off. This cause anger to shoot through my mind. I jumped down from the tree and immediately gave chase to the thief. I saw my quarry dash around one of my trees and take cover.

"Where the FUCK do you think you're going!?" I screamed at my target, pouring on the speed so they didn't have time to run away. I pulled my arm back and slammed my fist into the trunk of the tree they were hiding behind, blowing out the middle of it. I pulled back my arm again to slam my fist into the face of the thief, but what I saw stopped me in my tracks. The thief was a young girl, roughly my age (which was 18 at the time),a head shorter than me, and bright orange hair. She was wearing a Creeper jacket, which explains the green I saw, and fairly short shorts. She had her eyes closed as if bracing for an impact and was shaking like a leaf. I slowly lowered my fist as my anger dissipated, and repaired the tree. She eventually looked up at me revealing amber eyes. I looked at her for a second, then held out my hand towards her. She flinched and shut her eyes again, expecting me to hit her.

"I'm not going to hurt you," I said, sighing, "I would just like my apple back. Besides, I don't think you'd like that one, anyway." She looked up at me, confused. She put the apple in my hand, then I hit the tree, causing an apple to bounce off her head and into her hand.

"You can have that one," I said, "It's sweeter than this one, and definitely more sweet than your average apple." She looked up at me, then took a bite out of the apple. Her eyes lit up with delight as she chowed down on the rest of the apple. She then looked up at me again, and I saw a question form in her eyes.

"How come you didn't follow through with your hit?" she asked suddenly. Her question took me by surprise, causing me to look at her dumbfounded.

"I-I don't know," I stuttered, "I guess I could bring myself to hit a hungry girl." She looked at me suspiciously, one eyebrow lifted and her head cocked to the side.

"A-anyway," I stuttered again, "I suppose I should get back to work." I turned quickly so she couldn't see my reddening face. I began to walk back to my cart, only to hear her run up behind me.

"Wait!" She called out to me. "Hold up a sec!" I turned around to see her right behind me.

"Yeah?" I asked. She looked away, blushed a bit, then looked back up at me.

"Let me help you!" She said. I looked at her, surprised by her request.

"Why?" I asked her. "Why in the world would you want to help me? I just tried to kill you, you know?"

"It to repay you for trying to steal from you..." She stopped. She blushed a little redder and then continued, "And to repay the apples I've already stole." I looked at her, confused as to what she was talking about, then it hit me. After every harvest for the past week had been short by a few apples, no more than three, but still short. I looked back down at the girl with disbelief.

"You mean to tell me you're the reason for the low harvests!?" I asked, my voice raising with every word. She looked as if she was ready to cry.

"I'm sorry..." She said on the verge of tears. Any anger I had at this point was gone, and all I felt was shame. I was ashamed of myself for yelling at the girl. Even more so for terrifying her so much. I looked down at the girl who had tears rolling down her cheeks, hiding her face with the hood of her jacket. I sighed a bit then put my hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me, eyes full of tears.

"It's ok, I'm not gonna hurt you over a few apples." I said with a warm smile. I wiped the tears off her face with the sleeve of my shirt. "I'm not going to make you pay off those apples, but if you really feel the need to help me, then you're welcome to." She looked at me with surprise. She wiped her eyes then looked back up at me with a small smile.

"Thank you...thank you, so much!" She said, wrapping her arms around, catching me in a rib-crushing hug.

"Air...can't breathe...need...air..." I managed to choke out through gasps of breath. She released me, blushing brightly.

"S-sorry," she said, "guess I got a bit too excited." I laughed a bit.

"Eh, it's ok." I said. "Now come on. If you're gonna help, let's go." I walked off towards my cart, then remembered something. "Hey, what's your name?" I asked.

"It's Cupa." She said, smiling.

-Cupa's POV-

"It's Cupa." I said, smiling at the stranger. "What's your name, seeing as you asked me mine?" He looked at me and smiled broadly.

"My name's Gabriel Wright." He said, bowing with a flourish. I giggled a bit at this. "Call me Gabe to make it easier on you."

"Okay, Gabe. What do you want me to do first?"

"Well, you could gather the rest of the Granny Smiths." He said, scratching his chin.

"Granny Smiths?" I asked him, confused. "What's a Granny Smith?" He looked at me, surprised, for a bit, then a wave of realization went across his face.

"You know that green apple you took?" He asked me. I nodded. "Well, that's a Granny Smith. I was gonna leave them at three bushels, but with a helper I think I can get every apple out of my trees." He took me over to a set of trees, pointing out a group of them. "These trees hold Granny Smiths. I'll leave a set of baskets at the bottom of them to put the apples in. Come find me when your done." He turned and jogged back to the tree he was in before he chased me. I turned and climbed up my tree and got to work. I clambered around the tree, gathering the apples as I went. I used the hood of my jacket as a bag, so I could carry as many apples as I could. I eventually got them all and jumped out of the tree, wandering over to my baskets and putting the apples in the baskets filling two. I did the same with the other trees, gathering another seven baskets worth.

"Well, now that that's done I'd better go find Gabe." I said to myself. I wonder through the orchard look at the apple trees as I went, marveling at the sheer amount of different kinds of apples. I finally stopped at the tree with the cart under it and knocked on the trunk.

"Hey, Gabe, you up there?" I called out. I waited a little bit and got no response, so I called out again. "Gabe, can you hear me?" Once again, no response, so I climbed up the tree, only to find him asleep with a mess of apple cores next to him.

"Oh my Notch..." I said, as I laughed and shook my head. I crawled across the large branch towards him, reaching out to shake him awake, stopping to look at him.

'You know,' I thought to myself, 'he's kinda cute.' I was entranced by his face, his athletic build, even his hair. I stopped myself before my mind went too far. 'No Cupa, don't think like that. He's a human and your a Creeper.' I thought. "Besides, he'd hate you if he found out what you were." I said to myself. A little depressed, I reached over and poked his nose, causing him to wake up.

"Hey, get up, sleepyhead." I told him.

"Huh? What? I was asleep?" He asked, still rubbing his eyes.

"Yup. Apparently, you gored yourself on apples until you passed out."

"Oh." He said, blushing a bit. "Hey, how long have you been there, by the way?" I hid my face in my hood, so he couldn't see me blush.

"Not very long." I told him, which was kinda the truth. "Anyway, I got nine bushels of apples." His eyes perked up at this.

"Nine!?" He exclaimed. "You got nine bushels!? Woohoo!" He cheered, and in his celebration, he slipped and fell out of the tree, landing on the ground with a thud. I looked frantically over the branch to see if he was okay.

"Are you okay!?" I asked, voice full of concern. He jumped up as if nothing had happened.

"Yup." He said with a smile. "It'll take a lot more than that to hurt me!" I smiled and shook my head. I swung my feet off the branch and pushed myself off, landing on the soft grass below.

"Well, let's get the rest of these apples shall we?" I asked. I then took off towards the nearest tree.

-Gabe's POV-

She took off like a shot towards one of the Obsidian apple trees. I ran after her, trying to catch up.

"Hold up, Cupa!" I said, grabbing her by her shoulder. She spun around, looking at me confused. "We're gonna have to work together from here on out." She nodded and we got to work. It took us another five hours to get the rest of the apples harvested. We took the cart and put the apples in our storage house next to my friends home. We then collapsed in front of the door, exhausted.

"Damn," she said between heavy breaths, "why do you have so many different kinds of apples?" She looked over at me, visibly irritated. I laughed a bit at her expression, earning me a punch in the shoulder.

" I have all these apples, because they're mainly all I eat." I told her. "Even back where I came from, I ate almost nothing but apples." She looked at me for a second, then laughed.

"I guess we're alike there." She said. "I love apples about to the point you do." This took me by surprise. I looked at her with wide eyes. "What?" she asked.

"I've never met someone who likes apples as much as I do." I said, causing her to laugh some more. I joined her in her fit of laughter, laughing so hard that it made my sides hurt. Eventually, I looked up and saw the sun was setting.

"Hmm, looks like the sun is going down." I said, watching the sun set.

"So it is." Cupa said, standing up. "I guess I should go."

"Now hold up a sec." I said. She turned around to me, looking at me curiously. "I'm guessing you don't have a place to stay, do you?" She looked down at the ground. "I thought that was the case. Why not stay with me and my friends." I said with a warm smile.

"Really!?" She exclaimed, eyes lighting up. "Can I really stay?"

"Of course. My friends won't care." I said. She ran towards me wrapping me in another rib-crusher of a hug. "C-Cupa...air..." I gasped out.

"Oh, sorry." She said, releasing me. I stooped and coughed to regain my bearings.

"Okay, let's go introduce you to everyone!" I said, walking towards the house, with my new friend in tow.

-Chapter 2 End-

**_ I hope you enjoyed it! Once again, I'm new to all of this, so go easy on the criticism. I have up to 4 other chapters already written, so you can expect a new chapter every day the next few days._**


	4. Chapter 3

**_Welcome to the next chapter! If you've made it this far, then I'm doing something right! Once again I hope you enjoy my work and leave a review if you wish._**

**_DISCLAIMER: I do not own Minecraft!_**

-Vincent's POV-

"Damn it," I sighed to myself, exasperated, "looks like the forge is out of lava again." It's been about two weeks since Gabe brought that spunky redhead, Cupa, into our house, and since then I've had to refill the forge 13 times. Oh, and in case Cage didn't introduce me adequately, the names Vincent Adams. I'm just a hair shorter than Cage, curly black hair, and tan enough to make it look as though I spent every day of my life at the beach. However, unlike most of my friends, I'm more of a tinkerer or builder than anything else, spending my free time trying to make something new. So working the forge fits me perfectly, aside from constantly having to seek out lava every time the forge ran out. I looked into the storage tank for the lava on the forge body.

"Yep," I said, tapping the glass, "bone dry." I sighed and went to the chest that held my tools. I rummaged through the chest and found four buckets and my iron pick and blade, grabbing my second blade I used for emergencies. I put the buckets into my pack, and slid the sword into the scabbard at my side, and put the pick into a belt loop. I walked outside of the building that housed our forge, to see Gabe and Cupa taking a break with Cage and Shade. I wandered over to them, and tapped on Cage's shoulder to get his attention.

"Huh?" Cage asked as he turned around. "Oh, hey Vincent, what's up?"

"Not much, man." I said. "The forge is out, so I'm just headed down into the mines to try and find a large lava source and some more materials."

"Ah, okay." He said, nodding. "Take care, there's been a large rise in the amount of Zombies down there."

"Thanks for the tip." I dashed of towards the opening of our mine. The entrance wasn't much, just some wood scaffolding. I climbed down into the scaffolding, taking my time to find my footing, so I didn't slip. After about five minutes, I finally touched down on the mine floor. I looked around to make sure there weren't any dead-heads nearby, then started going deeper into our mine. Our mine went straight to bedrock in some areas, but only Cage and Shade would go down that far, because the rest of us felt unnerved by the Void fog. I walked for a while, grabbing any minerals I saw along the way, until I felt a familiar heat. I turned to try and locate the source, running my hands along the walls to try and feel it. After searching for a bit, I found the hottest point and immediately began digging out the wall. The area around me began getting much hotter, to the point that I had to get out of the hall I just dug.

"Holy sweet Jesus," I said excitedly, "that source must be huge, in order to throw so much heat." I wiped the sweat off my face and got back to work. I dug forward for a few more minutes, then I finally broke through into the source.

"Oh my god..." I said, becoming speechless at the view in front of me. The lava source itself was huge, but that's not stood out to me. What stood out was the lava cascading from the roof to form a lava fall, and there was what looked like obsidian spires and islands in the center of the source itself. I looked around the area, sitting down on the hot stone. I took in my surroundings marveling at the strange beauty of it all. I must have sat there for at least an hour before I took the buckets out of my pack and walked to the edge of the lake. I drew four buckets of lava from the lake, not even touching the sheer amount of molten rock in it. I gently placed the buckets in my pack then walked towards the cascade. I climbed up the rock wall to get a better look at the source of the fall. I looked into the opening to see a purple mist.

"What the hell?" I asked, mystified by the sight. "A natural Nether portal!? I didn't even know this was possible! Well that explains this lava source, but how come it doesn't overflow?" I jumped off the rock wall, tucking into a roll to keep myself from getting hurt. I brushed myself off and wandered over to the edge of the lake and looked into it, puzzled.

"Could it be possible?" I asked myself, as an idea came to mind. I grabbed the extra crafting station I always carry with me, and quickly crafted a diamond pick. Once I finished, I walked over to one of the obsidian spires and took of a chunk off the side. I tossed the chunk into the pool, and walked over to the cascade and waited. After about 10 minutes, much to my surprise, the very same chunk came tumbling down the cascade.

"No fucking way..." I said under my breath. "This means that both the cascade and the lake are connected to the Nether!" I looked around the area, more excited than a little kid on Christmas. I started laughing at the luck of my find. I laughed for a few minutes, then thought came to mind.

"I shouldn't tell everyone about this." I said. "They'd want to drain it for power. I'll keep this secret, make it my personal spot. I don't know why, but I feel comfortable here. The heat is welcoming and the fact that, if I had a couple fire resist potions, I could swim or even go to the Nether at anytime is awesome!" I smiled at the thought of it. I sat at the edge of the lake, sighing contentedly. After about three hours of relaxing, I finally decided to go home. I picked up my crafting station and my pack and started down the hall that lead back to the mine. I closed up the hall using stone and a redstone torch to mark the entrance, and started back to the surface. I was about half way back when I heard familiar growls. I spun around to see several Zombies shambling towards me. I sighed, gently setting my pack aside, then proceeded towards the creatures, cracking my knuckles. They began to pick up speed when they saw me getting closer, drooling at the thought of devouring me. One jumped at me, to which I responded with a swift punch to its face, throwing it back a yard or two. The others watched their comrade get slammed against a wall, then looked back at me with rage seething from them.

"Bring it dead-heads." I said calmly, taking a stance. They charged at me, reaching in an attempt to rip me limb from limb. While I ducked under their reach, I grabbed two by their shirt collars, slammed them together, knocking them into a daze. I stood up and turned to face the other Zombie, which had already started to charge again. I grabbed it's arm, flipping it over my shoulder. I then used its momentum to smash it's head into the ground, killing it. The two I had daze started to get back up, so I drew my blade, slashed both of their heads off in a single blow. I turned back around, only to have a cold hand land a blow to my cheek. I staggered back and looked up angrily at my opponent. My eyes went wide once I got a good look at my adversary, seeing he looked human save for his greenish skin.

"That's for hitting me, you shit." He growled at me. I stood back up and readied my blade in preparation for an attack.

"What are you!?" I asked angrily. He just chuckled and proceeded to charge me. I readied my blade when I saw the flash of metal from beside him. I jumped back just in time to dodge an iron sword that he had been hiding.

"Hmmm..." he said, "Nice reflexes. Most would have died there. And as for your question, I'm a Zombie. I'm just more cognitive than the others." He smirked as he said this, charging me again. I blocked him and our blades locked for a while, until I pushed him off, landing a kick to his chest. He looked up at me with anger, which turned to confusion as I threw my iron blade into the rock wall next to me.

"What, are you giving up human?" He asked mockingly. I looked up at him calmly, pulling my other blade from my pack.

"No," I said dangerously, "I'm getting serious." I drew the blade out of its scabbard, revealing the light blue blade. The blade was made from a special alloy I invented. It consisted of Alumite, which is an aluminum and obsidian alloy, Silver, and Nikolite dust. The metal holds a razor sharp edge, is incredibly durable, and is very light. I flourished the blade in front of me, the went into a fencer's stance. I stood there in wait as the Zombie approached me slowly, lunging at the last few, swinging his sword wildly. I sidestepped him easily, swinging my blade in an upward arc, detaching his sword arm from his body. He screamed out in pain as he clutched his wound, blood pouring between his fingers. He spun around, seething with anger. He ran towards me at full speed, reaching for my throat. I slammed my fist into his nose, feeling it give way under my hand. He dropped to his knees, allowing me to knee him square in the jaw. He flew back into the wall, sliding down it. I walked up to him, placing my blade at his throat.

"Any last words?" I asked calmly. He look up at me, and spat blood into my face.

"Fuck you, human." He said, his voice full of venom. In response, I slid my blade into his neck, then promptly severed his head. I walked back over to my pack, picking it up, then slid my blade back into its scabbard. I continued walking back to the entrance to the mine, coming to the scaffolding. I climbed back up the scaffolding to see everyone standing there with a worried look on their face.

"What's wrong guys?" I asked nonchalantly.

"What's wrong!?" Cage yelled angrily. "You've been gone for almost a day, that's what's wrong!"

"Seriously, man," Gabe said, sighing, "you really had us worried. We thought you had died. Though it does look like you had a close encounter."

"Ah, this?" I gestured to the blood on my face, "I just got into a fight with a pack of Zombies, though one was much more coordinated than the rest, smarter too. The bastard could wield a blade and speak."

"That's not surprising." Cupa said. "There are tons of humanized mobs out there." We all looked at her stunned. "What?" She asked

"How do you know that?" Jack asked. Cupa blushed brightly and hid her face in her hood.

"I've done my research..." She said quietly. We all shrugged it off then went our separate ways. I went back to the forge, and filled the tank with lava. To me this lava felt cooler, but I knew it was because I spent so much time in that room with the lava lake. I got to work melting down the ores that I had gathered on the trip. Once I finished, I laid down in my bed and rested for a bit. After a while I dozed off, dreaming of the Nether, which are the dreams I enjoy most. I woke up to the sound of crashing in the storage shed. I grabbed my blade and rushed to the building. I burst through the door, sword at the ready to see two humanoid Zombies rummaging through the metal supplies. I walk up behind them stabbing one through the chest before they realized I'm there. The other spun around swinging the gold sword he had with him, which I sliced through like butter. He looked at me with fear in his eyes, as I grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him close to my face.

"And, just what the fuck do you think you're doing?" I asked him quietly, voice seething with anger. He just looked at me afraid out of his mind. I sighed a bit then released him. "I'd get out of here if I were you." I said, trying to calm myself. "If I catch you in here again I will kill you, understand?" He nodded and ran out the door. I fixed the storage chest locks and burned the body of the dead Zombie out of respect. I walked back over to the forge, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

"This was one hell of a day." I said to myself. I thought back to the room I found, smiling at the beauty of it in my mind. "It's good that I decided to keep it secret. Now I don't have to worry about it being destroyed." I walked back inside and laid down on my bed. I closed my eyes, and dreamed of the Nether, with Ghasts flying through the air and Zombie Pigmen wandering the grounds. you have it

-Chapter 3 End-

**_ And there you have it. I hope you liked the first bit of action in my tale. As you can tell, Vincent knows his way around a blade. How will that round out later in the story...I'm afraid you'll have to find out for yourself._**


	5. Chapter 4

_**Howdy, howdy! Welcome back to "Return of the First"! I've got a new chapter for you, and it's a long one. Before you get started, however, I just wanted to give a quick shoutout to SylentDoom. The reviews you've sent me have really helped out. Now, enough of this sentimental stuff! Let's get rolling!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft!**_

-Peter's POV-

Three months have passed since Herobrine trapped us here, and, I must say, we're doing incredibly well. Robert has increased our farm beyond wheat, adding melons, pumpkins, tomatoes, raspberries, and many other types of produce. Jack and Erica were our hunters, and damn good hunters at that. Erica was incredible with a bow, bringing down animals from insane distances, while Jack could sneak up on creatures with a blade like a shadow. Gabe and Cupa have stocked our storage with apples of many kinds. Vincent has discovered 20 new alloys, allowing us to replace our rusting iron equipment. Cage has set up a massive two-floor laboratory, one floor for science and the other for magic. Shade's been helping Cage with his studies in Thaumcraft and Ars Magica, gathering materials and building a spellcrafting altar for Cage. In return, Cage set up a necromancy hall for Shade, who immediately made a servant. The servant had the head of a Zombie, the body of a Creeper, the arms of a Skeleton, and the legs of a Spider. As for myself, I've been upgrading our home, which has working water, electricity, A/C, and a built-in mob grinder. I was in my room resting, after setting up the mob grinder, when I heard someone knock on my door.

"Who is it?" I asked.

"It's Cupa, can I come in?" I heard her ask.

"Yeah." I said. She poked her head through the door.

"Cage has called a meeting." She said. "He asked me to come get you."

"Alright," I said, swinging my legs off the bed, "tell him I'll be down in a minute." 'Huh,' I thought to myself, 'why would Cage call a meeting?' I got off my bed and wandered towards the door, stopping at the mirror. I looked at my reflection, looking at my blonde hair, green eyes, and pale skin. I smiled as I rubbed my chin, feeling the scruff.

"Guess I need to shave." I chuckled to myself. I turned and walked out the door of my room, walking downstairs. I rounded the corner of the stairwell to see everyone gathered in the living room. Shade was the first to see me.

"There he is!" He exclaimed, smiling wildly. Let me stop a second to give a description of Shade. By looking at him, you can tell he's different. He has shoulder length silver hair, red eyes, and damn near white skin, and as far as I can tell his eyes and hair are natural. He's normally a nice guy, a little loud at times, and has a dark enough sense of humor to make Death cringe, but he's a good guy. I looked at him with a deadpan expression before sitting down on the couch next to Vincent.

"Ok, Cage," Erica started off," we're all here. What's with this meeting?"

"I simply want to address a few things." Cage stated. "First, it's been three months since we were trapped here, and I want to congratulate everyone on surviving. Second, it'll be Christmas soon, so think about a present for everyone. Lastly, I-"

"Umm..." Cupa interrupted, "what's Christmas?" We all looked at her, dumbfounded. "What? Why are you all staring at me like that?" She asked as she shrunk into her hood. Gabe recovered first then wrapped her in a reassuring hug to calm her down, causing her to blush brightly.

"Christmas," Gabe explained after releasing her, "is a holiday from where we come from. Once a year, friends and family get together to exchange gifts, eat lots of food, and there tends to be alcohol at the parties as well." He finished, shooting Cage and I an accusing look. We just laughed and held up our hands. Cupa thought for a second, then her eyes lit up.

"It sounds like a lot of fun!" She cheered. We all laughed, then motioned to Cage to finish his announcement. His demeanor immediately became serious.

"Right, as I was going to say, I have some bad news." He said. We all looked at him, curious. He sighed before continuing, "We need to go to the Nether." All of us save for Shade gasped. Shade just nodded, as if he knew this was coming.

"I figured we'd have to anyway." Shade said. He had a determined look in his eyes, which worried me. "I've thought about it for a while, and I've decided that I will go." Cage looked at him, surprised.

"Shade are you sure?" Cage asked, uneasy and worried for his friend. "The chances of you dying are very high, and I don't like that you plan on going alone."

"I'm not going alone, Cage." Shade said, slightly offended. "I'll be taking Minion with me."

"Still I think that someone should go with you." Cage said, scanning the room. "Any volunteers?" Nobody raised their hands. Cage looked defeated, and let out a heavy sigh.

"Alright, Shade, looks like your al-"

"WAIT!" I yelled. Cage looked over at me, confused. "I'll go with him."

"Are you sure?" Cage said, silently thanking me with his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm sure." I said, smiling.

"Okay, then it's settled." Cage said, clapping his hands together. "You two get ready for tomorrow. Vincent get them some armor and weapons ready." Vincent nodded and ran off towards the forge. "Gabe, grab them a golden apple each, they're gonna need them." Gabe ran off to the storage shed with Cupa in tow. "Everyone else go about your normal duties." We all nodded and left the living room. I walked by Shade on the way to my room, hearing him mutter about needing to tweek Minion a bit. I walked up to the stairs to my room and flopped down onto my bed. I was asleep in seconds, still bone tired from building the mob-grinder. I woke to the voice of Gabe at my door.

"Dude, get up." He said with some urgency in his voice. "It's time." I sighed and got out of my bed. I walked out of the house, seeing the Nether portal on top of a hill, with everyone around it. I trudged up the hill, and when I got to the top, Vincent handed me a suit of what looked like Leather armor. I raised a questioning eyebrow at him.

"The leather is infused with Diamond and Iron." He said. "It's just as light as Leather, but it's stronger than Diamond." He handed me my blade next. "The blade is made of Diamond and Redstone. The Redstone lets you swing the sword faster." He finished. He backed off as I tested out the sword, then I donned the armor. I turned to face the portal, looking to my side to see Shade, grinning like a maniac, with Minion at his side. Cage grabbed both of our shoulders and looked at us.

"I wouldn't send you to the Nether if I didn't have to." He said. "Stay safe you two. And best of luck." He shoved us into the portal, and the familiar purple swirl overtook my vision. A few seconds passed before the portal faded from around my eyes, and when I could see, I was welcomed by the familiar red sky of the Nether. I looked around, seeing Shade already collecting Quartz. I continued to scan our surroundings, picking out a Nether Fortress in the distance.

"Yo, Shade!" I called out. "Check it out, there's a Nether Fortress over there!" He ran over to where I was and looked out across the lava.

"Where?" He asked, craning his neck in an effort to see it. I grabbed the sides of his head and turned it towards the fortress.

"There, numbskull." I said. He saw it and immediately ran across the cliffs that lead to it. I ran after him to make sure he didn't fall or piss off any Zombie Pigmen. By the time I caught up with him, he was all ready at the edge of one of the supports of a bridge, giving orders to Minion.

"I want you to start gathering some netherrack in order to make a staircase, understand?" He ordered Minion. Minion saluted him and got to work at blazing speed, and once seeing that he understood, Shade wandered over to the edge of the cliff and looked at the ocean of lava below. I could see him zone out as he stared, so walked over to him and placed my hand on his shoulder, causing to jump.

"Shade, you alright?" I asked.

"Yeah," he said, his voice trailing a bit, "I'm just thinking that the oceans of lava are oddly beautiful." I raised an eyebrow, worrying about his state of mind.

"You sure you're alright?" I asked again.

"I already said I w-" he was interrupted by a familiar screech. We both spun around, swinging our blades just in time to send a fireball back to its spectral owner. We watched as the fireball collided with the Ghast's face, causing it to fall to the ground, surprisingly not making much sound. I ran over and put a vial underneath its eye to collect the tear. It fell into the vial after a few seconds, allowing me to put a cork on the vial and put it in my pack. I then placed my hand on the fallen creature, uttering a soft apology to honor it, after which it dissolved. I held back a few tears of my own, seeing as the Ghast is my favorite mob. I turned around and began to walk back over to the cliff where Shade was kneeling, when I heard a whoosh go over my head. I spun and didn't see anything, only to hear an explosion behind me. I looked over my shoulder just in time to see Shade fly over the edge of the cliff. Fear filled me as I sprinted towards the edge of the cliff.

"SHADE!" I screamed as I got to the edge. I looked over, hoping that he'd be clinging to a piece of netherrack, but no such luck. Shade was nowhere to be seen.

"No..." I whispered as I cradled my head in my hands. I sat there for a moment, sorrow clouding my thoughts. Suddenly, a spark of anger flitted through my mind.

"DAMN IT!" I screamed, slamming my fist into the ground, turning the piece I hit into powder, and possibly breaking my hand. I shot up and began feverishly began searching the area where the fireball had come from.

"Where the FUCK are you!?" I shouted out, my voice echoing, "I know you're still there, so show yourself, damn it!" I waited awhile, but no one came out of hiding. I spent another hour screaming and searching for the person or creature responsible for killing my friend. I eventually calmed down and sat down back at the cliff Shade had fallen. I sat quietly for a moment before standing up.

'I suppose I'd better go tell everyone what happened...' I thought to myself. I turned and slowly made the trek back to the portal to deliver the horrible news.

-Shade's POV-

I watched Peter run up to the fallen Ghast and collect the tear they drop when they die. I turned back around and continued gazing across the boiling ocean below me. I'm not sure why, but the churning lava was mesmerizing, the glow drawing me in. I was in the middle of sitting down when something exploded right behind me. The shockwave launched me clear from the edge of the cliff, deafening me in the process.

'Whelp,' I thought to myself, 'this is it. Death by lava should be quick, so I won't feel much.' I fell towards the sea of molten rock below me, when Minion suddenly appeared before me, grabbing hold of my armor and launching me sideways. I flew at an angle, wondering why he flung me towards the cliff, when I saw the cove at the bottom. I flew into it, slamming into the rock below. I struggled to stay conscious as I looked around. The cove was comprised of netherrack and soul sand, with an obsidian beach at the mouth. Minion appeared beside me and awaited orders.

"Thank you, Minion." I said. "I'd be dead without your quick thinking." He merely nodded and continued standing, awaiting instruction. I sighed, and thought for a second, mind foggy from the pain in my chest and left arm. "Minion can you throw up a quick shelter in the wall. Make sure the floor is soul sand." I ordered. He saluted me and ran off towards the wall, digging out a 5x5x5 room in a few minutes. He lined the floor with soul sand, then came over and picked me up, causing pain to shoot through my body. He carried me to the shelter and gently landed me on the floor. He then went outside and guarded the opening, patrolling a few yards away. I took my armor off slowly as to not cause too much pain. I then laid down on the soul sand, listening to the whispers of the spirits trapped inside the grains of the dark material. I smiled a little as I drifted into sleep, but just as I passed out, I could've sworn I saw a redheaded girl in the lava, looking towards where I was with curiosity.

-?'s POV-

I watched as a odd-looking human crashed into the cove I was relaxing in at the time. He hit the ground pretty hard, so I assumed he was dead, considering any human that would've fallen from that height would've died on impact, but I watched him sit up holding his left arm. He looked around him as an odd creature, which I'm pretty sure was a necromatic creation, walk up to him and just stand there. The human said something to the creature, to which it nodded and resumed standing still. The human then said something else, which caused the creature to salute him and run towards the back wall of the cove. It then dug at a blazing speed creating a large room. I took this opportunity to swim closer to get a better look at the human. The first thing that stuck out to me was his red eyes, which seemed to glow like activated redstone. I noticed he was well built, not heavily muscled, but not scrawny. I tried to get a better look, but before I could, his creature came back and picked him up, causing him to yelp in pain. It carried him into the room and laid him onto a soul sand floor. I almost called out in warning, screaming that the soul sand would drive him mad if more than his feet touched it, but as I watched, the soul sand didn't seem to have an effect on him. If anything, the human seemed more at ease on the cursed sand. He began to take off his armor slowly, as he was obviously in pain, starting with his boots. I was surprised to see he was in a pair of black pants and a black tank top, which contrasted sharply with his ghost white skin. But what shocked the most was when he took of his helmet. He had long silver hair, which I knew wasn't natural for a human. I continued to look at him with curiosity, as he laid his head on the soul sand, smiling contentedly. He scanned his surroundings as sleep over took as his eyes, but his eyes formed a silent question as they locked with mine. His eyes held me in place as he passed out, filling me with even more curiosity. I watched his creature patrol, and once it was walking way, I hopped out of the lava and ran into the room where the human was sleeping. I took refuge in a corner of the room so the creature wouldn't see me, and i inspected the human a little closer. I ran my hand through his hair to see if it was real, and, to my surprise, it was. I left him to sleep and looked at his armor, which in itself was incredibly strange. The armor looked as though it was leather but when I tugged on the fabric, it wouldn't even stretch. I put it down and looked back at the human, who was now sitting up perched against the wall with his sword drawn.

"Who the hell are you?" He said in a dangerous tone. He put the blade at my throat, causing me to tremble a bit. I raised my hands in surrender.

"Easy, I'm not going to hurt you." I said slowly. "As for who I am, my name's Terra." He kept his eyes on me as he put his sword away. He looked me up and down, making me feel uncomfortable.

"Okay, Terra." He said calmly. "I've got a few questions, and if you answer them I'll answer any you may have, understand?" I nodded. "Okay, first question. You wouldn't happen to be a humanized Magma Cube, would you?" My eyes filled with surprise after he asked that.

"Yes I am, but how did you know?" I asked him

"I'll answer that in a second, but now for my second question, why are you in here in the first place?" He asked.

"Well, I was curious. I've only seen humans a few times before, but you looked so different from them. Not only that, but you haven't gone mad from the soul sand, so I just wanted to indulge my curiosity." He smiled evilly at me, causing me to shrink back a bit.

"Well, my curious little Magma Cube, doesn't soul sand drive everything mad, nether mobs included?" He chuckled a bit at the question. "Besides, I lost my mind long ago." His voice trailed off a bit as he said this. What he said about soul sand was true, but I was already crazy so what did it matter to me. He sat there quietly for a bit, to the point I got a bit worried and placed my hand on his shoulder. He jumped a bit then focused on me, smiling a sad smile. "Thanks." He said.

"Your welcome." I said smiling back at him. "So anymore questions?" He thought for a bit before answering.

"Yeah, what's with the highly provocative clothing?" He asked rather bluntly. I looked at him confused, then looked down to find I was still in my bikini. I blushed brightly and willed the bikini into shorts and a short tank top.

"Sorry," I said, blushing, "I got so caught up in checking you out, I forgot to change." He laughed a bit, causing me to realize how dirty what I had said sounded. I punched his right shoulder lightly and joined him in his laughter. When we finished, he looked over at me and smiled a bit before speaking.

"So any questions?" He asked.

"Several, actually." I said. "First, what's your name?"

"My name is Shade. I'd give you my last name, but I don't have one." He said plainly.

"Huh?" I asked. "Why not?" Shade's expression became one of depression.

"Because my parents didn't care enough to give me one." He said sadly. "It's rare they even notice I exist. Hell, I wouldn't be surprised if they didn't notice I've been missing all this time. They same goes for all my friends. They've been my only family growing up." Shade seemed on the verge of tears as he said this. I scooted next to him and, as if on instinct, wrapped him in a hug to calm him down. He became rigid for a few seconds, then relaxed and returned the hug. It was during the hug that I noticed something else strange about him. His body temperature was cold, even for a human. After a few seconds, we broke the hug and he seemed calm again.

"Feel better?" I asked. He smiled warmly at me and nodded. "Well, I have another question."

"Ask away."

"You don't seem like a normal human." I started. "You have silver hair and red eyes, which aren't natural in humans. Plus, you seem cold, like really cold." He paused to soak in my question then began.

"Well, as for my hair and eyes, they're natural. I was born with them, much to the doctor's surprise. My body temperature, however, occurred later in life. It just started to drop one day, and has stayed around 72 degrees, which is much lower than all other humans." I pondered his answer and it made sense, considering that humans are susceptible to disease.

"Okay, one final question, how did you know I was a Magma Cube?" I asked.

"The fact that I saw you in the lava is what tipped me off at first." He chuckled. "But the flowing, gel-like hair, the gorgeous eyes that look like flowing lava, and the clothes that looks like the same gel Magma Cubes are made of is what really solidified my opinion." I was blushing brightly by the time he finished his sentence. He looked over at me, laughing at my attempt to hide my reddening face. "And besides," he started, still laughing a bit, "I think I'd know the humanized version of my favorite mob if I saw it." I looked at him with wide eyes, unsure what to say.

"W-What do y-you mean by 'f-favorite mob'?" I stuttered out. He laughed before speaking.

"I mean that I wouldn't kill a Magma Cube, even if my life depended on it." He said boldly. I don't know why, but I couldn't help but throw my arms around him and hold him tight. I felt so happy knowing that there was a human that wouldn't kill me for knowing who I was. I squeezed Shade tighter, only realizing how hard I was squeezing when I heard a pained grunt. I quickly released him, blushing brighter than redstone.

"Sorry..." I whispered. He just laughed, and tried to stand, causing him to yelp in pain and sit back down.

"Hey, Terra, can you get my pack?" He asked.

"Yeah, no problem." I grabbed his pack, and tossed it to him. He rummaged through it a produced a item that looked like a furnace, but with a strange top, a knife, a golden apple, and various other food items I didn't know. He then tossed me a bucket.

"If you grab some lava, I'll make something to eat." He said. "I'd imagine you're just as hungry as I am." I was about to say otherwise when both our stomachs growled. I looked at him and blushed. I picked up the bucket and wandered towards the opening of the small room.

"Wait!" He called. I turned to look at him, confused. "If Minion confronts you, say 'Codice'. That'll let him know you're friendly." I thanked him for the advice and bounded for the shore of the cove.

-Shade's POV-

I watched Terra run off to the shore for a bit before I picked up the golden apple. I ate the shining fruit, gritting my teeth in pain as the regenerative properties of it reset my ribs and healed my broken arm. Once the pain subsided, I set up the stove and began chopping the vegetables and meat I brought with me. Whilst I was working, however, one thing about Terra bothered me. The fact that the soul sand didn't have an effect on her lead me to believe that she was as crazy and sadistic as I was, but I wanted to be sure. Plus if it were true, and she was insane, that would mean I'd have someone, aside from Cage, that would really understand me. I thought for a second as to how I could possibly test my theory, when an idea came to mind.

'The soul sand!' I thought sadistically. 'A few grains of that in her food would be more than enough to test my theory! It would have to go in both of our food, but I'm pretty much immune to the maddening effects of the stuff.' I grinned as I picked up a pinch of the cursed sand and sprinkled it unto the meat I had prepared. I had just finished concealing it with pepper when Terra got back with the lava.

"I've got the lava!" She said cheerfully. I took the bucket from her and placed it into the fuel compartment of the stove. I put the meat into a pan and allowed it to sear. I then cooked the vegetables in the meat's juice to give them more flavor. I split the slab of meat in half and placed it on a large bed of vegetables and passed the plate over to Terra.

"Dig in." I said.

"Thank you." She said gratefully. I dug into the meat, scarfing it down, blissfully listening to the whispers caused by ingesting the soul sand. I watched her eat her vegetables, then cut a chuck off her piece of meat and eat it. As soon as she swallowed it, her eyes went wide. She then tackled me from across the room.

"What the fuck is your problem!?" She screamed in my face. I grinned sadistically at her before speaking.

"What ever are you talking about?" I asked mockingly, laughing evilly. She slammed her fist next to my head, which only caused me to laugh even more. "Oh, please," I said, "enough with the false anger. You're just mad that I found out that you're absolutely insane, anyway." I saw the anger in her eyes falter. I took the opportunity to flip her off me, after which I promptly pinned her to the ground.

"So, what now, human?" She said, her voice trembling a bit. "Are you going to kill me, now that you know I'm insane? Are you going to end me, just to fuel your own sadistic needs?" I sighed as a smile curled my lips. My sadistic side was taking pleasure from the fact that she felt betrayed, but something inside me wasn't going to let her keep feeling that way. I picked up the knife that had fallen off the stove during the struggle, inspected it, then looked down at Terra. The girl seemed terrified, her beautiful eyes holding back tears. I sighed, then I took the knife and pressed the hilt into her hand. She looked at me wide-eyed as I got down close to her ear.

"If anyone's gonna be doing any killing," I whispered to her, "it's going to be you. I already told you that I won't kill a Magma Cube, let alone one as beautiful as you." I sat up and released her. I stood up and wandered over to the opening of the door, looking over the ocean of lava. I thought about my friends, laughing at the fact that they must think I'm dead. I wandered over to the edge of the lava and, feeling that the golden apple was still in effect, dipped my hand into it. It had the consistency of swamp water, which was quite thick. It's at times like this that my clothes are made of an obsidian cloth that Vincent invented, which meant they won't burn off in extreme heat. I stood and stretched, then dove into the lava. The heat felt amazing, causing me to submerge my head. I popped back up to catch my breath and climbed back out, sitting on the edge of the obsidian beach, with my legs still hanging in the lava. I sat there for a few minutes, until I saw Terra sit down next to me. She looked as though she had been crying.

"Terra?" I asked. "Why were you crying?" She looked over at me, tears still forming in her eyes.

"I didn't want you to know..." She whispered.

"Didn't want me to know what?"

"That I'm insane...I didn't want anyone to know...I've been judged my entire life for it..." She started to cry after she finished. I immediately wrapped her in a hug, stroking her hair to calm her down. I laughed a bit whilst I held her.

"Being insane isn't a bad thing." I said calmly. "In fact, I believe it's much better than being sane." Terra looked up at me, confused.

"How so?" She asked.

"Well, for starters," I said, "those who are crazy can think on many different levels. We have a darker, thus much more entertaining, sense of humor. Finally, it just makes you a better person to have around. I know my friends wouldn't trade me for the world. Besides," I paused to hide a blush, "I think girls who are just as crazy as I am are cute." She looked at me with wide eyes before looking way, attempting to hide a bright blush. I looked down to realize I was still holding her, to which I quickly released her. She scrambled away and fell into the lava, causing me to burst into laughter. She glared at me from just above the surface, then disappeared beneath the churning lava. After a few seconds, I was pulled into the lava by an invisible hand. I popped back above the surface to see a giggling Terra, whom I promptly tackled, causing us to back into a corner of the shore. We stood there laughing for a bit, then we locked eyes causing us to become still. Her eyes were enchanting, constantly shifting between gold, orange, and red. To me, everything about her was beautiful. As if on instinct, I pulled her close to me, holding her sides. She gasped a bit, then blushed before wrapping her arms around my waist, holding me close to her. Our faces inched closer towards each other, until, after what seemed like an eternity, our lips locked. We held each other close whilst we kissed, staying locked for a good two minutes before we had to stop for air. We just looked at each other for a few seconds, trying to piece together what had happened. I was about to say something when an extreme burning sensation erupting across my body caused me to pass out.

-Terra's POV-

"Besides, I think girls that are just as crazy as me are cute." I heard Shade say, as he turned his face away and hide his reddening face. I looked at him wide eyes, unsure what to say. He looked down, realizing he was still holding me, and quickly let go. I scrambled back, only to slip and fall sideways into the lava. I popped my head up to where my eyes and nose were just above the surface. I glared at him as he laughed, then I ducked under the lava and swam towards him. Once I got to where his feet were hanging off the edge of the shore, I grabbed his ankles and dragged him under the lava. I popped up and began to giggle hysterically at him struggling to get to the surface. My giggling was cut short by the sudden impact of Shade tackling me, moving much faster than I thought he could. We slammed into a corner of the shore, laughing for a while. I looked up at him, only to be held still by him gazing into my eyes. His eyes seemed to glow in the light of the lava, adding to the beauty of them. We stood there for a moment when I felt his hands fall upon my hips and pull me closer to him. I gasped aloud at the sudden movement, blushing at how close I was to him, but, as if my arms had minds of their own, I wrapped my arms around his waist, holding him even closer. I looked into his eyes, and it seemed as if they beckoned me to come closer. I grew closer to Shade, and before I knew it, my lips locked with his. The moment they touched, my mind went white. It felt as if I had died and gone to the Aether, and, as of that moment, I didn't care if I had or not, because I was brimming with happiness. I almost pouted when we broke away for air. We kinda stared at each other, trying to speak, but unable to find any words. After a while, Shade seemed like he was about say something, when his face contorted in pain and his eyes rolled into the back of his head. Had I not been there, he would've slipped under the lava and drown.

'Wait...' I thought to myself. 'Oh shit! I need to get him out of the lava!' I hauled him out of the lava and tossed him onto the obsidian behind me. I jumped out and kneeled beside him, looking him over for any burns, which he, surprisingly, had none. I kept inspecting him when I noticed the smoke curling out of his mouth. I immediately thought what had happened to him was my fault. I thought that my rising temperature during our kiss and melted his insides. My eyes started to tears up when he started to cough.

"Well," he said weakly, "that *cough* was careless of *cough* me." He put his hand on my cheek, smiling at me warmly. "Sorry for scaring you." I stared at him for a few seconds, holding back tears, then launched myself at him, throwing my arms around his neck. I sobbed into his shoulder for a few minutes, feeling him stroking my hair, before I calmed down.

"What happened to you?" I asked him, voice full of worry.

"I had forgotten I had eaten a golden apple when I put the soul sand into our food." He explained. "The good effects and bad effects of the two clashed rather violently." He shrugged after he finished, causing me to slap him as hard as I could, which launched him into the lava.

"Asshole!" I screamed at him. "Don't shrug off stuff like that! I was really worried! I thought you were dead..." Tears started to form in my eyes again as I finished screaming. He watched me from just above the surface of the lava, which struck me as odd, because the golden apple should've worn off by now.

"How are you..." I started.

"In all honesty, I'm not sure." He said, just as confused as I was. "All I know is, it's a relief that it seems that I'm immune to death by fire." He laughed a bit, which caused me to giggle. He shifted onto his back and floated on the surface of the churning ocean, visibly relaxing. I sat on the shore, legs dangling in the lava, watching him float. He eventually dove under the surface, disappearing for a minute, then popping back up right in front of me, making me jump. He stood on the ledge just below where my feet were, still tall enough to look me dead in the eyes. I froze once again, held by his astonishingly red eyes. He grabbed my waist and acted as if he were going to kiss me again, only to drag me into the lava. I popped up and glared at him, causing him to laugh.

"That's for earlier." He said, still laughing. Slightly disheartened, I swam past him and started to climb out when he grabbed my wrist, halting me. I spun around to find him gazing at me warmly. "And this is to apologize for scaring you." He pulled me close and planted a kiss on my lips. My mind once again exploded into whiteness, causing me to feel like I was going to faint just from the passion behind the kiss. I tried return just as much passion, making my heart to beat faster. After we broke the kiss, it took me a good five minutes to regain my composure. I looked up at him to find him looking down at me lovingly, causing me to blush. He stretched for a bit, yawning, and climbed out of the lava. I followed him rubbing sleep from my eyes. We got back to the room his creature had made, and the moment my feet hit soul sand, I laid down and listened to the whispers of the cursed souls, smiling at the maddening sounds. I soon heard light snores, indicating that Shade was asleep. I smiled lightly, before falling asleep myself, dreaming sweet dreams of insanity.

-Shade's POV-

I awoke in the room to find Terra cuddling up against me, sleeping peacefully. I smiled and blushed, knowing that she had crawled up against me in her sleep. I carefully removed myself from her grasp and stood up. I walked out of the entrance to the room and walked to the shore of the cove. I looked out across the ocean, spying the faint glow of the portal home.

'I should probably head home.' I thought to myself. I looked over my shoulder and glimpsed at Terra's sleeping form. 'I can't leave without her. Besides I still need to collect some materials anyway, and having someone familiar with the Nether will help.' I turned back to the purple glow. 'But I still need to let them know I'm alive.' I thought for a moment, allowing a thought to form.

"Minion!" I called. "Get over here!" Minion rushed over to me and saluted. "Minion, I need you to go back to the Overworld and tell Cage I'm alive. Do you understand?" He saluted and climbed up the cove wall and over the top of the cliff. I sighed and wandered back to the room where Terra slept. I knelt down next to her and gently shook her awake.

"Huh?" She mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. "Where am I?"

"In my spot." I said with my arms crossed. She sat up and looked around her, realizing that she was in the middle of the room where I had laid down to sleep. Her face grew redder with each passing moment as she pieced together what that meant. I chuckled at her expression, watching enthusiastically as she grew flustered at the fact that she had cuddled up against me. I stood back up and held out my hand to help her up. She took my hand, and stood up, brushing the soul sand out of her hair. She looked over at me, smiling a bit, and laced her fingers between mine and leaned against my chest. I smiled and wrapped her in a hug, happy to have her there.

"Hey Terra?" I asked.

"Yeah?"

"You know I have to go back to the Overworld, right?" I could practically feel her deflate at my question. She buried her face into my chest, hiding her sadness.

"I wish you didn't have to." She said sadly. "I want you stay here with me." I smiled at this. She was one of the few people that wanted me around, and I wasn't about to lose her.

"I know, Terra." I said. "If I could I would stay, but my friends in the Overworld are going to freak when they find out I'm alive. Not only that, but they're still counting on me to get some materials." She looked down and I saw tears fall and hit the soul sand. I lifted her face up to mine, staring directly into her eyes. I smiled warmly before speaking.

"However," I started, "just because I can't stay, doesn't mean you can't come with me." Her eyes went wide when I finished. She suddenly became very timid, backing off from me, looking down and twiddling her thumbs.

"A-are you serious!?" She stuttered out. "I-I've never l-left the N-Nether. I-I mean, I'm n-not against it if you d-don't mind having me along." Her face reddened with each word, and by the time she finished, her face was as red as redstone. I chuckled a bit at her expression and pulled her face up to look up at me.

"If I didn't want you to come with me, I wouldn't have asked." I said bluntly. She was visibly shocked by what I had said, causing her face to become even more red. I smiled warmly at her and let go of her face. I began gathering my belongings while she stood there in a stunned silence, staring at the ground with wide eyes. I put the stove and the remainder of the food into my pack, along with a few vials full of soul sand for Cage's magic studies. I put my armor back on, stretching a bit to set it correctly, then I placed my blade and pickaxe in their respective places at my hips. I turned and looked at Terra, who was still staring at the ground. I smiled and placed my hand on her shoulder, scaring her a bit.

"Are you coming?" I asked. It took her a few minutes to answer.

"Y-yes." She said, obviously still flustered. I smiled and hoisted my pack onto my back and started out of the room, Terra in tow. I went to the edge of the cove and began carving out some of the obsidian, taking out each piece with three swings of my pick.

"What is that pick made of!?" I heard Terra ask, voice full of surprise.

"Huh?" I asked. "Why are you asking?"

"Well, I've heard that the only thing from the Overworld that can break obsidian is diamond. Your pick doesn't look as though it's made of diamond." She finished with a perplexed look on her face.

"Oh!" I said with realization. "I forgot that you're not familiar with alloys."

"Alloys?"

"An alloy is a combination of different metals and other materials to make a new and stronger metal." I explained. "I have a friend named Vincent who is constantly making new discoveries of different alloys."

"And your pick is one of these 'alloys'?"

"Yup." I said, flourishing the tool. "The head of the pick is a mix of diamond, obsidian, and damascus steel, which is another alloy. The pick is strong enough to cut through through obsidian like a hot knife through butter." Her eyes widened with surprise.

"That's so cool! But..." She paused. "What's the handle made out of? I can tell that the binding is obsidian, but I don't know what that pink and green metal is."

"Well the pink metal is Alumite," I explained, "an obsidian/aluminum alloy. It's much stronger that obsidian. The green is moss."

"Moss!?" She exclaimed. "Why would you put moss on a tool?"

"Well," I said, chuckling a bit, "I asked Vincent the same question. It turns out that the moss slowly repairs tools as you use them." She stared at me with disbelief, then gave me a skeptical look.

"The moss repairs your tool?" She asked slowly. "I seriously doubt that." I sighed then laughed a bit.

"I don't blame you for being skeptical." I said, unsheathing my blade. "I was too at first, but just watch." I used my sword to carve out a small chunk of my pick. I beckoned for her to come close. "Watch the gouge closely." I said. She leaned in closely, examining the pick head.

"Nothing's happeni-" she started, before stifling a gasp. She watched with wide eyes as the gouge was slowly starting to be filled with new metal. After about 3 minutes, the gouge had completely disappeared, leaving the pick looking brand new. She stared at the pick in disbelief, trying to take in what she just saw.

"Amazing, huh?" I asked nudging her with my elbow.

"Amazing doesn't even begin to cover it." She said in awe. She looked up at me, questions filling her eyes.

"Feel free to ask anything you want," I said, gathering my tools, "but we should get a move on."

"Right." She said. We walked to the edge of the cove and stopped at the lava's edge. I put my hand in the lava to see if my fire resistance was still around. The lava felt warm to the touch, much to my surprise. I stood up and looked over my shoulder to Terra.

"Hey, Terra," I said, "I think it's best that we head to the Overworld for the time being."

"Huh, why?" She asked.

"I don't need to worry my friends anymore than I need to." I said. "I've got a feeling that we'll be coming back anyway. The fact that you were born and raised here will make you perfect for excursions to the Nether. Plus, with my new found fire resistance, I'll make sure I'm right by your side." Terra blushed at this, and smiled up at me.

"Alright," she said, "let's go." I smiled and jumped into the lava, swimming towards the purple glow ahead of me that was beckoning me home.

-Chapter 4 end-

**_What do you think? This was my first attempt at a romantic scene and I think it turned out alright. What's your guys opinion? Anywho, if I get froggy later today, you might get the next chapter. Thanks for the views and support, and keep on enjoying!_**


	6. Chapter 5

_** The frogginess took over, so here's the next chapter! I love the reviews this is getting, so it's pushing me to write on. Thank you for the support and I hope you continue to enjoy this story!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft.**_

-Jack's POV-

"Alright, pig." I said to myself, clinging to the shadows. "Your time has come." I crept closer to my quarry, readying my blade. I was just about to swing my blade when the animal suddenly lurched sideways. I watched as the pig fell onto its side with an all to familiar arrow in its head.

I looked behind me to see my friend Erica up on a cliff roughly 850 yards away. I shook my head and harvested the fallen animal, making sure to grab Erica's arrow. I turned and used the Void Ring that Cage had made me to teleport to her. I tossed her the arrow and put the meat into the pack we brought with us to carry our haul. I hoisted the bag unto my shoulder and started back to the base. When I walked past Erica, she grabbed my arm, halting me in my tracks.

"What's your issue?" She asked, visibly irritated by my silence. I sighed and sat the pack down before I rounded on her.

"My problem," I said in a dangerous tone, "is that you always rush me without any reason. However, there's one other thing that's bothering me." Erica backed up a bit, eyebrow raised in suspicion and caution.

"And what's that?" She asked, taking a defensive stance. I smirked evilly before answering.

"This!" I shouted as I grabbed her arm. I used my ring to teleport into the river below and back, leaving Erica in the water. I was laughing hysterically when an arrow flew past my head, shutting me up.

"God dammit, Jack!" I heard Erica scream from the bottom of the cliff.

"I warned you that this would happen if you stole my kill again." I shouted back down at her, chuckling a bit. I watched her nock another arrow and let it fly, grazing my ear. I let out a yelp and put pressure on the cut to keep it from bleeding.

"That's what you get, asshole!" Erica yelled up at me. "Now come down here and get me!" I sighed and teleported down to her, placing my hand on her shoulder and returned to the top of the cliff. She laid her bow on the ground and wrung out her long brown hair. She started to take off her shirt, causing me to blush and spin around. I stop here a moment to describe Erica and I. I'm 6'1", have cropped blonde hair, and emerald green eyes. Erica is much shorter than me, standing at 5'10". She has long brown hair and storm gray eyes. Anyway, back to the story. I stood with my back turned a she wrung out her clothing, waiting uncomfortably. After a while, she tapped on my shoulder.

"Okay, I'm done." She said, picking up her bow. I turned around and picked up the pack full of meat and began trudging towards the base. We walked in silence for a while, which allowed an awkwardness to settle in. After a while, Erica spoke up.

"Look, I'm sorry about the ear." She said kinda half-heartedly. I looked over my shoulder at her before responding.

"Meh," I said, shrugging my shoulders, "it's alright. It was worth it." I smiled jokingly at her, which earned me a death glare. I laughed it off and continued forward. We walked for a while longer and before long, it started to get dark.

"Damn it all." Erica cursed under her breath. "I was hoping to get home before dark."

"Same here." I said. "Let see if we can find a cave or something to hunker down in for the night." He began searching the mountainsides for potential caves, but all the ones we found were full of mobs and we didn't want to risk getting killed. We kept searching till we happened across a Plains biome.

"Wonderful," Erica said, as she started to rant, "just fucking wonderful. Just what we need, a fucking plain. Now not only do we have to deal with the fact that we have no shelter, but we've also got to deal with the massive hoard of monsters." As she continued to rant at our situation, I surveyed the stretch of open land before us. It wasn't long till I saw lights off in the distance.

"Erica," I said, grabbing ahold of her shoulder to get her attention, "look. I think there's a village over there." She looked in the direction I was pointing and saw the lights. Her eyes lit up with delight.

"Perfect!" She exclaimed happily. "If we can get over there, we can ask for shelter for the night."

"My thoughts exactly." I said. I held my hand towards Erica, beckoning for her to grab hold. She hesitated for a second before grabbing ahold of my hand. I made sure her grip was firm, then I began using my ring to teleport closer to the lights in the distance. As we got closer, I realized that something seemed off. The light had a bright orange hue, and was much too bright for normal torchlight. It wasn't till we got roughly 200 yards away, that what was off was clear to me.

"Oh no..." I said as my heart sank.

"What? What's 'oh no'?" Erica asked me.

"Fire..." Is all I said before I teleported to the village without Erica.

-Erica's POV-

"Fire..." Is all Jack said before he warped towards the village, leaving me behind. I was confused at first, but the confusion quickly faded when I saw the buildings being devoured by a raging inferno. I ran into the village to try and help any trapped villagers escape, frantically searching the blazing homes for signs of the occupants. After I checked the fifth house, I heard a set of voices.

"Are you sure that'sss all the villagersss?" One voice hissed out.

"Yesss, I'm sure." Another answered. "I've double checked every houssse, and there'sss no sssign of any ssstragglersss." The other voice grunted in response and I listened to the bodies that the voices belonged to walk away. I slumped against the wall I was hiding behind, trying to figure out what was going on.

'What was with their voices?' I thought, trying to piece things together. As I slowly started to stand, I looked up to find someone standing just ahead of me. They gestured to me, beckoning for me to come closer. I sprinted across the open street, stopping in front of the figure. It was a man no hair, brown eyes, and a large nose. He was battered and bruised and seemed to be breathing hard. He looked at me suspiciously before speaking.

"Who are you, stranger?" He asked. "You don't look like the one who attacked us."

"I'm not with them, if that's what you're asking." I said, slightly offended. "My name's Erica and a friend and I came to your village in hopes to have a place to stay for the night. When we arrived we found the village in flames. He rushed ahead of me so I don't know where he is, but I've been looking for survivors. I was over at that house," I pointed at the house I was just in, "that I heard some strange voices."

"Well then, you must have heard some of our attackers." The man said.

"Who's attacking you anyway?"

"Humanized creepers." He said glumly. "A rouge group of warriors."

"Warriors?" I asked, confused. "I didn't know that the Creepers had designated warriors."

"Every type of mob does, though they are supposed to leave us villagers alone." He said.

"Do you know why they are attacking you?"

"My guess is that they are a group of usurpers. Rebels taking slaves to help overthrow the current king of the Creepers."

"Do you know how many there are?"

"Yes, actually. There's-" He started, before he was interrupted by a blade landing at his throat.

"No sudden moves, understand?" I heard Jack's voice say from behind the man. Fear filled the stranger's eyes. I grabbed Jack's wrist and glare dangerously at him.

"Jack, remove the blade." I growled at him. Jack looked at me, confused, then cautiously removed his sword from the man's throat. The man visibly relaxed once Jack sheathed his blade.

"This is my friend, Jack. He's the one who noticed your village was in danger first." Jack eyed the man before shaking his hand. "Now, how many of them are there?" I asked again.

"There are 9 in all." He started. "Three normal ones, which means they use plain TNT, two Fire Creepers, as they throw these odd bottles with a burning cloth in it, two Magma Creepers, who use this odd fluid that drips fire, one Support Creeper, who is constantly healing the others, and one Death Creeper, who is five times stronger than the normal ones, and is obviously the leader."

"Okay, so we need a game plan." I said to Jack.

"Our first target should be the support." Jack said. "Find a way to get on a roof and try to figure out which is the support. Once you do, take him down."

"What'll you do" I asked him.

"I'm gonna bring down the magma Creeps." He said. "It sounds like they're using napalm, which could be a huge problem should we be discovered. Once you take out the support, focus on the fire creeps, then we'll work together to take out the normal ones and the leader."

"Alright then. Let's get started." We stood up and went in opposite directions. I found a low spot in one of the roofs and climbed up. I jumped from roof to roof, searching for my target. After a while I saw one of the Creepers. It was obviously the support creep, as it had a belt full of healing potions. I smiled evilly and drew back my bow, taking aim at my target. I watched him turn around right when I loosed my arrow...

-Jack's POV-

I watched Erica climb onto the roof of one of the houses and dash off. The moment she was out of sight, I crouched down in the shadow and moved silently down an alley, searching for the Magma Creepers. I slinked down many down the empty streets, listening for the sound of movement. Soon enough, I heard a couple voices.

"Ssso, what doesss the bosssss want with thessse villagersss anyway?" I heard a Creeper ask.

"Sssomething about desssstroying the King and hisss daughter. I'm not sure what hasss planned." His comrade answered. The other chuckled before speaking again.

"I guessss it doesssn't concern ussss." He said. "Whatever, let'ssss jussst burn thessse buildingssss." I peeked my head around the corner to watch the two creepers throw what looked like ceramic jars with a flaming piece of twine in it. The ceramic jars exploded, releasing a sludge that spread like lava.

'Napalm!' I thought to myself. 'Looks like I found my targets.' I crept through the shadows, using my ring to move from shadow to shadow with out detection. The creeps were so focused on their job that I got right in behind them and loped their heads off without a sound. Their bodies dropped, but didn't dissolve like most mobs. I scooped up their napalm canisters and put them in my pack. "These could come in handy!" I said to myself. I remained crouched and worked my way through the various alleyways in search of the Fire Creepers. It wasn't long before I found them hauling a family of villagers out of a crumbling building. I crept up behind one and plunged my sword into his back, severing his spinal cord. His comrade jumped at me, wielding what looked like a flaming dagger, only to receive an arrow to the side of his neck. He flew sideways from the force of the arrow, slamming against the house, causing to crumble on top of him. I looked over to where Erica was and gave her a quick nod of thanks, which earned me a salute, after which she took off across the rooftops in search of our final three targets. I sprinted through the streets after her, knowing we'll need to work together to end the leader's rampage. I was running through a back alley when I ran into someone.

"Oof!" The person said. "Watch where you're going!" I looked up at the person to see a man with dark skin and blood-red eyes. Our eyes widened when we saw each other, jumping backwards into a stance. He eyed me up and down before speaking.

"What are you?" He asked, generating a piece of black TNT in his hand. I raised an eyebrow at him, readying my blade.

"I'm a human, obviously. And I assume you are the Death Creeper?" I asked him, ready to spring.

"Ha! You would assume correctly! But, you don't seem like a human...but whatever. A human is a human." When he finished, he swung at me, hitting me with the hand that held the TNT. I flew backwards, crashing through a building. I coughed up a bit of blood, and stood up weakly, grimacing at the pain in my chest. The creeper walked through the hole in the building with a look of genuine surprise on his face.

"You're pretty durable!" He said, voice full of shock. "Any human I would've hit like that would've vaporized! Your still alive to boot!" I grinned evilly at the monster before me.

"That's not all I can do..." I used my ring to teleport behind him and planted my fist into the back of his head. He face planted onto the hardwood floor, but was up in a flash.

"You're a strange one, alright." He rubbed the back of his head, grimacing a bit. "That fucking hurt! You're strong too! Well then, that means I don't have to hold back!" He rushed me, planting a fist into my chest. I felt my sternum crack as I flew up into the ceiling, slamming through to the floor above. I landed on the floor, coughing up blood, surprised at my own resilience. I stood up shakily and chugged the regeneration potion I had with me. I felt my wounds heal, wincing as my sternum shifted back into place and jumped into the hole down to the floor below.

"That hurt..." I said voice seething with anger. I stepped forward and warped right in front of him, kneeing him in the chest. He dropped down to his knees to catch his breath, which allowed me to plant a foot into the side of his face, sending him spiraling into the wall. I warped up to him again, grabbing the front of his shirt and heaved him out the front door. He crashed outside, slamming against the wall of another house. I dashed outside, reading my blade for a strike, only to receive an explosion to my stomach. I flew backwards, crashing into a wall. I was dazed for a while and I couldn't hear a thing, but I could see the creeper staring triumphantly at me as he pulled out a dagger and approached me. Before he could get any closer, I reached into my pack and pulled out a napalm canister, tossing it at my foe. He reacted instinctually, slashing at the ceramic, only realizing too late what it contained. The flammable goo plastered him, stunning just long enough for me to run. I ran for a bit, then hunkered down behind an elevated wheat field. I could here the creeper screaming in outrage, calling me everything but a saint. I needed some way to ignite the napalm, because I knew I couldn't beat him in a fair fight. I looked around and spotted Erica on a roof just ahead of me. I signaled to her and motioned what I needed so I didn't give myself away to the creep. She nodded and sprinted off, which left me to get him into position. I snuck my around the edge of the farm, warping from time to time to sneak up on my foe. I crept up behind him and landed a blow to the center of his back. He went sprawling, landing right next to one of the lampposts that illuminated the farms. He stood up and glared at me.

"And what, exactly, was that supposed to do?" He asked, taking a step towards me.

"This!" Erica called out from one of the roofs behind him. He spun around just in time to see her loose an arrow. The arrow smashed into the lamppost next to him, sending a shower of sparks towards the creeper.

"Oh, shit...!" Was all he managed to get out before he went up in flames. He let out a bloodcurdling scream as the napalm consumed him. It wasn't long before the flames overpowered him, reducing his body to ash. I walked over to where Erica was and helped off the roof.

"Nice shot." I said, nudging her with my elbow.

"You weren't to bad yourself, though you looked shit." She said, chuckling. I rolled my eyes and walked over to the pile of ashes and sifted through it, finding a cluster of the black explosives the creeper fought me with. I stared at them for a bit, then put them in my bag. I spun around and began to walk back out of town. Before we got to the gates, we were jumped by three robed figures.

"Jusssst where do you think your going, humansss?" The one in the middle said.

"We were leaving," Erica started, "but it seems we left some trash behind." The robed creepers leapt at us when Erica finished her insult, but they fell easily. We looked at the bodies before us, watching them slowly disappear. We look at each other and chuckled, relived that we survived this encounter.

"I can't wait to tell the others about this." I said, watching the sunrise.

"They'll never believe it." Erica said, stringing her bow across her back. "Just the two of us, bringing down 9 humanized creepers." I shook my head as she said the number. I was mainly surprised we were still alive.

"Well, for now, let's focus on getting home." I said. Erica nodded in agreement, and we began our long trek home.

-Chapter 5 end-

Here we have it! Enter the epic duo of Erica and Jack. I think that the two of them make a potent pair, but I'll leave that up to you guys. It's a short chapter compared to the last one, but I think it's enough to introduce two more characters.


	7. Chapter 6

_**Looks like my frogginess got the best of me once again. Out a whole day early, (even though I've had it finished for almost a week), here's Chapter 6! **_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft.**_

-Robert's POV-

"Watch where you're aiming!" I shouted behind me after hearing a bullet whiz by my head.

"I was!" Peter called out from behind me, letting loose another shot at the group of Skeletons before us. Both of his shots careened into the skulls of the undead beasts, blowing them of their shoulders. The two hit crumpled into a pile, causing the remaining boneheads to attack more fiercely. It wasn't long, however, until Peter and I had wiped out the wandering group, gathering the bones in our packs.

"Nice work!" I said, high-fiving my friend. We continued walking, when I heard Peter yawn behind me. "Go ahead and head back." I said, placing my hand on his shoulder.

"No!" He protested. "You know the rules! Ever since the incident in the nearby village, we have to stay in pairs, just in case we spot hostile humanized mobs."

"I'll be fine. I can handle myself." Peter looked at me and sighed, knowing this was a fight he couldn't win.

"Alright..." He sighed, "but if Cage gets on my ass about this, I'm not taking the fall for you."

"Just go." I chuckled. I watched as he trudged off in the direction of the house, then spun around, carefully watching the shadows. I moved slowly and quietly, and as I surveyed my surroundings, I spotted a small orange light in the distance. Perplexed, I crept closer, discovering it was a camp. The fire was still burning brightly, meaning, whoever was staying here, recently left. I snooped around the campsite, looking for any indication of who, or what, was staying here. Unable to find anything, I spun around to leave to see a robed figure aiming a drawn bow at my head.

"Drop your weapon!" They ordered. "Drop it or I put an arrow between your eyes!" I glared at the figure before me, leveling my pistol at the figure.

"Wanna try me?" I asked dangerously. We glared at each other, when suddenly the figure loosed an arrow. The arrow flew over my shoulder, making a sickening thud as it slammed into something behind me. I spun around and watched as a humanized Zombie sunk to the ground, arrow between it's eyes. I turned to thank the figure, only to see another Zombie creeping up behind them.

"Get down!" I shouted, firing my pistol. They got down just in time as the bullet put a hole in the creature's forehead. The Zombie flailed as it died, tearing the robe off the figure by mistake. The figure stood up, revealing a young woman wearing grey shorts, and a grey vest that barely covered her huge breasts. She had light grey eyes and hair to match.

"Woah..." was all I could say to the beautiful woman before me. I watched in awe as she strung another arrow with blazing speed, loosing it at another Zombie.

"You just gonna stand there and stare or are you gonna help me?" She asked as she strung another arrow. I snapped out of the trance I was in and got into my groove. I ran towards the nearest Zombie, planting my elbow in it's chest, then blasting it point blank, blowing the back of its head out. I tossed the carcass towards another Zombie, stunning it. Grabbing the stunned beast, I flipped it over my shoulder, dislocating it's arm at both joints in the process. I pinned it, placing the barrel of my gun in it's mouth. I was about pull the trigger when I heard the girl scream.

"Get off me, you dead head!" She said as she struggled with a Zombie that had grabbed hold of her. I hopped off of my quarry and ran towards the woman. I grabbed the shoulder of her assailant and spun it around.

"You, my friend," I said, as I broke its jaw, "need to learn to keep your hands to yourself!" The beast screamed in a rage and hit me square in the jaw. In response, I shoved the barrel of my gun in its mouth, blowing it's brains out the top of its head. I wiped the Zombie bits off my face then helped the woman back onto her feet.

"Thank you." She said. She inspected the fallen Zombies, driving an arrow into the head of any that were still alive. Once she seemed satisfied, she turned her attention to me. She rushed me and put an arrow to my throat.

"Now, drop your weapon!" She commanded, pressing the arrow closer. "I won't tell you again." I struggled against her grip and fired a shot from my pistol, snapping the arrow in two.

"Will you stop that!?" I said, pushing her off of me. "Jesus, I've got no intention to hurt you. Only reason I'm over here is because I saw your fire. Now, will you please stop threatening me!?" The woman watched me closely as I holstered my gun and sat down on a near by log. "Who the hell are you, anyway?" I asked, visibly irritated.

"What's it to you?" She asked.

"Well, I'd like to know the name of the person you just helped me bring down a hoard of Zombies." I said. "Thanks by the way. I'll start; my name's Robert."

"Don't mention it." She said, sitting down next to me on the log. "The name's Skelly."

"Skelly, huh?" I said with a chuckle. "Not a very original name for a Skeleton, huh?"

"Yeah," she giggled, "I guess n-hold on a second!" She looked over at me with alarm. "How'd you know?"

"The skill with the bow is enough for a tell." I said with a sly smile. "I'm must say, you shot at a speed equal, if not faster, than my pistol."

"I'm not sure if that's a compliment or not." She said with a confused look. I chuckled before responding.

"It was a compliment." I said, drawing my gun. "This is a pistol. Like a bow, it fires projectiles, but at a much faster speed. The projectiles are much smaller as well."

"If I hadn't seen its power myself, I wouldn't have believed you." She said. "Still it's hard to believe something so small packs so much power. Honestly it looks like a hunk of iron."

"Believe me, it's much more than a hunk of iron." I said, holstering my weapon. "Anyhow, what are you doing out here?"

"I pissed off someone important." She said, bluntly.

"On the run, huh?" I chuckled. "Need some help avoiding your pursuers?"

"I'll be fine. Thanks for the help with that hoard. Never would've survived that one."

"Don't mention it, but, seriously, you should come with me. I've got a place you can hide."

"I told you I'll be fine! Get that through you're he-!" Her words were cut off by the sound of groans. Looking past her, I saw a huge swarm of Zombies shambling towards us. I leveled my pistol at the nearest member of the group and just as I was about to pull the trigger, the ground shook. The shaking intensified as thundering steps emanated from the forest before us, indicating only one thing; this hoard held a Giant.

"Shit! We're gonna have to run!" I exclaimed. "Follow me! Kill the ones in front of you and move!"

"Got it!" With that, we sprinted in the direction of my friends base. Our path was blocked by a few Zombies, but they were easily dispatched. I could heard the footfalls of the Giant behind us, allowing me to pour on the speed. We burst through the forest, only to run into Shade and Cage.

"Oof! What the fuck Robert!?" Exclaimed Cage. "Watch were you're going!"

"No time man!" I explained. "We've got a massive hoard on our asses!"

"You don't say..." Both of them said with a demented grin on their faces.

"What's up with them?" Skelly asked, obviously unnerved.

"You'll see." I said, edging back. "Move back. What they're about to do is highly dangerous." Skelly only nodded and hid behind me. Within seconds, the first wave of the hoard burst through the woods, and began to rush the two men before them. I could see the delight in Cage's eyes as he raised his hand.

"It's been a while since I've had a live target!" He said with glee. "Nether's Inferno!" As those words left his mouth, a fifty yard swath was decimated with flame hot enough to turn everything, living or no, into ash. Just as Cage began to lower his hand, the Giant crashed through the the trees, and brought it's fists down in an attempt to crush Cage. Shade intercepted the blow and pushed it back.

"This one's mine." He said, his blade glowing an ominous black. As he swung his blade, it unleashed a wide arc of pure evil energy, striking the massive beast in the chest. The resulting wound necrotized at an alarming rate, reducing the Giant to a necrotic pile of sludge in seconds. Both Skelly and I looked on in awe at the destruction wrought by my friends.

"Incredible..." Skelly said under her breath. "I didn't realize the there were humans so strong."

"That's my friends for you." I chuckled. "So about my offer..."

"I really don't have a choice do I..." She said, curtly. "I'd never survive out there."

"Fair enough." I said triumphantly. "Let's see about getting you a room." With that, I marhed towards our base, my reluctant companion sighing in defeat.

-Chapter 6 End-

**_Sorry that Skelly didn't get a chance to speak in this chapter, and that it was so short. I would've made it longer if it weren't for a crippling bout of writer's block. Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it!_**


	8. Chapter 7

**_The frog in me strikes again! Having just posted my last chapter, I hurried to polish off the 7th. I've finally made my way back around to Cage, so things may get interesting!_**

**_DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft._**

-Cage's POV-

"Easy now..." I reassured myself, as I eased the core into my new reactor. "Nice and slow..." I fitted the core into place, then began to lift one of the stabilizers into place. The moment the stabilizer was I place, the reactor immediately went into meltdown.

"Shit! Kinetic Field!" I shouted, throwing up a field around the reactor, containing the blast. Although I contained the fire and debris from the blast, the concussion still launched me back, slamming into the wall.

"Fucking machine!" I shouted as I stood back up. In a rage, I started launching fire in all the corners of my lab, reducing all of my flammable equipment to cinders and melting the the reactor's casing in the process. Standing there, I looked over the damage I had caused, then immediately stormed through the Dimensional Door that lead back to the Overworld. Out in the hallway, I could see Shade standing at the end, laughing his ass off.

"What're you laughing at?" I growled, conjuring up a ball of lightning. Shade simply shook his head and walked over to me, throwing his arm around my shoulders when he reached me.

"Still can't get it right, huh?" He said with a light chuckle.

"No..." I said with a sigh, dispelling the lightning. "I know I have the core right. The amount of energy it puts off with out using a single bit of fuel is astronomical, but I can't figure out what is causing it to blow."

"Well, take it easy, man." He said, patting my back. "Last time you rushed your research, you ended up with that gnarly scar on your arm." I looked down at the jagged, black scar that ran down the length of my arm. I shuddered as I thought back to its cause.

"I'll be careful." I said, walking past him. "For now, I'm gonna go grab those books I ordered back at Tezi Village."

"Alright." He said. "Try not to flirt with that librarian too much." I shrugged off his jest and took my elevator back up to the surface. Once there, I grabbed my coat from the house and began the trek over to the village, tossing a ball of lightning around to keep myself entertained. It took me about 3 hours to get there, but the villagers were always happy to see my friends and I, considering it was Jack and Erica who saved them. I greeted each villager and entertained the children by launching fireballs and spears of ice into the sky and making them explode as I worked my way to the library. By the time I reached the building I was looking for, I had an entourage of people asking me questions about my magic, ducking inside to evade them.

"Looks like you got them riled up again." A voice chuckled out from behind me. I looked over my shoulder to spot Lillith, the village librarian. She's slightly shorter than me, tan with bright emerald green eyes and brunette hair.

"Ah, just the woman I was looking for!" I said, walking over to the counter. "It's good to see you again, Lillith."

"Likewise, Cage, and how many time do I have to tell you!? Call me Lily."

"Right, sorry. Anywho, did my books come in?"

"That they did!" She exclaimed, handing me a stack of books. "I hope you don't mind, but I looked at a couple of pages in one of those books and couldn't make heads or tails of it. How do you make sense of those books?"

"That makes sense." I chuckled as I looked over the titles of the books to make sure I got them all. "Some of these books are written in Eldritch, a mystical language. I don't know how to speak it, but I can read it with ease. Though, I've read that an extremely powerful Witch deep in Minecraftia's past could weave cataclysmic spells with these words. The other books are science books, mainly covering my current research."

"And what might that be?" She asked.

"I'm working on a reactor that's powered by solidified Void fog." I explained, chuckling at her reaction before continuing. "The piece of fog alone could power your village for years to come. But what I'm planning to do with it will cause the power output to increase by a thousandfold. Theoretically, anyway."

"Th-That's incredible! What are you planning to do with all that power?"

"Mainly power my machines and my friends home. However, considering the amount of power it'll be producing, I was considering setting up an energy tesseract here in the village and help power it." I smirked at her dumbfounded expression and picked up the final book. I looked it over, admiring the make. The book was small, about the size of a pocket book, had yellowed pages and was bound in an odd material. I opened it up and nearly dropped the book in surprise.

"What is it?" Lily asked with concern.

"This is..." I said, book trembling in my hands, "the spellbook of the most powerful Witch in all of Minecraftia's history, the First Witch!" Lily nearly tripped over herself to come over and look at the book.

"What are these symbols," She said, pointing a few out, "and why are they moving around the page?"

"These pages," I explained, "are locked until the owner of the book discovers the correct path to open it. I assume this was meant for someone else, considering the First Witch wrote this herself."

"How can you tell?"

"Can't you feel the raw power emanating from this book? It feels ancient, like power of the olden time, before Notch removed the First Mobs from Minecraftia."

"I'm surprised you know that legend, Cage." Lily said, as she walked around the counter and pulled out an old dusty tome. I looked over at the book title and immediately recognized it.

"That's "The Ancients' Lore"!" I exclaimed, flipping open the book. "Every word is written in Eldritch...how old is this book?"

"It's the original copy." She said, gently closing the book. "We've already translated this book, creating the "History of Minecraftia" textbook we use in schools, but we've left out the time of the First."

"Why!?" I asked. "That was such a pivotal time in your history. The First are the predecessors of all current mobs! Why leave out something so important?" An odd sadness seemed to cloud Lily's face before she answered.

"It was at Notch's request that we do so." She seemed like she was about to cry as she explained. "He told us that it was a time that need to be forgotten. Apparently, according to him, the First were evil beings who brought the Corruption to the land. He banished them to another world as a result, replacing them with the current kings and queens. Save for a few, they are kind rulers. Of course, there are the rouge groups of warriors that still attack us, but thanks to you and your friends we don't have really worry about that." She wiped the tears from her eyes, then looked down at the ancient tome before her. With a sigh, she handed me the book.

"What are you doing!?" I asked in alarm, trying to hand her back the book.

"Take it, Cage." She said, a sad smile curling her lips. "This village no longer has need for it. I would love to be able to read the truth on the First, but sadly I can't read Eldritch. You can, however. Find the truth about them and come back and tell me. I don't want to think that they were evil."

"Alright." I sighed as I placed the tome in my pack along with my others, taking out the spellbook in the process. "I'll find the truth, but, for now, I need to focus on this. Who knows what secrets it holds!" I turned to walk out the door, only to feel a hand land on my shoulder. I spun around to see Lily standing right behind me. She seemed like she wanted to say something, but simply smiled at me and went about her work. I watched her for a second, then walked back over to the counter, setting down a small pouch. With a look of curiosity, she picked up the pouch, then nearly dropped it surprise.

"Th-These are..." She stammered as she pulled out a red and green swirled stone.

"Bleeding emeralds, yes." I said, chuckling at her disbelief. "It's to pay for the books."

"This is way too much!" She said, placing the glittering stone back into the pouch. "I can't take these!"

"Sure you can!" I said, walking around the counter to her. "I could never put a price on the spellbook, so that'll have to do. However, I do have something that'll work for the Ancients' Lore tome." As I finished, I planted a light kiss on her forehead. The look on her face was priceless as I walked back to the door. This time, it was her voice that stopped me.

"Wait!" She called out.

"Hmm?" I asked, looking behind me. Her face was redder than redstone as she struggled to find the right words to say.

"Thank you." Was all she said before returning to her work.

"Your welcome...Lillith." I teased as I walked out the door.

"I said call me Lily, damn it!" She shouted back, sending a book flying past my head. I waved and made my way back out of town, making note of the falling sun.

"Looks like I'm not going to make it before dark." I said with a smile. "Be a good time to read up on this book and get some practice in." I conjured up a small ball of light so I could read the book and set up a small motion detection spell around myself so I could hunt feral mobs when I got bored. A few spiders immediately popped up on my radar, but I ignored them and started reading the book. The first thing that stood out to me was the opening note, which seemed to be addressed to someone.

"To my dearest descendant," I read to myself, keeping tabs on a pack of creepers nearby. "if you are reading this, then you've taken the first step of accepting your role of the First. Within these pages lie the secrets of magic, the Eldritch language, and the ability to seek out the other descendants. May this knowledge serve you well in your adventures. I will be watching for a while and will assist you only once at the beginning of your path. Good luck and may the Path guide you." I couldn't believe what I was reading. "The First Witch wrote this for her descendant, knowing she'd be banished!? That's insane!" I continued reading, coming across the section on Eldritch. As I read, something pinged on my radar, a signature I've never read before. The signature was incredibly powerful, so it was definitely a humanized mob of some sort, but I could tell it was surrounded by humanized zombies. Curious and worried, I made my way to the ping, careful to extinguish my light. I peered through the bushes and saw a couple of the zombies standing in front of the source of the ping. Who, or whatever was the source was barely alive, as the signal had faded significantly. I watched on as the the two zombies talked amongst themselves. I got a little closer and strained my hearing to pick up their conversation.

"-was a genius to think of Anthame cuffs to keep her from running away." One of them said.

"Yeah, only problem is that she'll run the moment we take off the cuffs, else she'll be poisoned to death." The other said. A spark of anger flitted through my mind, as, due to my research, I've learned Anthame is a metal highly poisonous to Enderman. The thought of them harming an Enderman nearly made me leap out of the bush, but the sound of another person walking stopped me. I looked around and spotted another zombie walking up holding an oddly shaped knife.

"Don't worry, boys." He said with a sadistic grin. "After we use this, our little princess here won't be going anywhere." Whoever they had captive immediately hopped up and slammed into the leader, knocking the knife out of his hands. I got a good look at the woman they had captive, and as badly wounded as she was, she was gorgeous. She had long brown, almost black hair that fell to her waist, glowing purple eyes, wore a black jacket, black boots, long black stockings, and short shorts. She was maybe an inch or two shorter that me and seemed to be able to hit like a freight train, as she sent the leader flying. Her moment of triumph was short lived as one of the others hit her hard, knocking her to the ground. I was about to interfere when I felt another ping on my radar behind me. I spun around and saw a group of feral Skeletons walking by. I hit the dirt and waited for them to pass. Once they were off my radar, I turned back to the humanized mobs behind me and was immediately struck with a sense of horror as I saw them pull an Ender Pearl out of her chest.

"You won't be going anywhere now, bitch." He said, crushing the pearl to dust. I could practically see the life fade from her eyes as the pearl dissolved. Her gaze almost seemed to gravitate towards me, eyes pleading for help as she slipped into unconsciousness. Strangely, I wasn't enraged like I should've been. Rather, I felt calm as I walked out into the open and shot a ball of fire into the back of the head of the leader.

"Evening fellas!" I said, voice full of sadistic mirth. "I couldn't have helped but noticed that you're here terrorizing that beautiful creature. First you beat her within an inch of her life, then you basically pull out her heart and crush it? That's sickening, or that's what I'd like to say if I wasn't about to do the same to you."

"A human, huh?" The leader said, brushing the ashes off his head. "You've got a lot of balls to come and attack us like this. However, if it's just the three of us, you're sorely mistaken." With that, he let out a whistle. All around him, humanized mobs crawled out of the brush, just outside of my radar, so I couldn't get a good count. I looked them over and merely chuckled.

"What's so funny, human?" A Skeleton snapped. I looked over at him and snapped my fingers. His body erupted into an inferno of flames, reducing him to ash in seconds.

"That's what's funny." I said, a cold fury lining my voice. "Creatures like you are worse than the feral mobs that walk this forest. I'll feel no remorse in taking your lives."

"You're an interesting one, human." The leader said, drawing his blade. "However, you'll never be able to take us all on." He was right, of course, but there was no way I'd let them kill the woman laying on the ground. I took my stance and placed my hands at my sides, palms out.

"I don't need to take you all on. I just need to kill you all at once." I closed my eyes, allowing sparks to dance around me. The air around me became highly charged, giving off a metallic scent as the air changed to ozone. My eyes snapped open as I unleashed a torrent of lightning. The massive bolts arced from enemy to enemy, reducing many to smoldering heaps. In the midst of the carnage, I ran for the Enderman and scooped her up in my arms, sprinting towards my home. Unfortunately, my blast of lightning missed a few mobs, and soon I had arrows flying by me. I poured on the speed, but I knew that I couldn't outrun them much longer. I was tempted to stop and put up a last stand to defend the woman in my arms, and just as I was about to stop, a voice popped into my head.

'My descendant,' it seemed to say it to my mind, 'do you truly wish defend this creature?' I was unsure how to respond, but I simply nodded. 'Then I shall assist you. This will be the last time I help you, so listen carefully. I shall give you a powerful spell, and the knowledge necessary to speak Eldritch. Use it wisely.' The voice tapered off, leaving two words resonating in my mind. I stopped and shifted the woman onto my back. Once I made sure she was secure, I looked towards my pursuers.

'I hope this works.' I thought to myself as I lifted my hand. I pictured the words in my head and allowed them to flow to my tongue.

"Ruptis Solaris!" At the utterance of those words, a bright ball of light appeared in my hand. The heat it threw off was so intense that the plant life around me turned black. The ball grew in size at an alarming rate, then stopped at the size of watermelon. I looked at the ball and grinned evilly. Lifting my eyes to my pursuers, who were staring in awe at the ball of light, I flashed a sadistic smile before uttering the last word they'd hear for a while.

"Burn..." Was all I said before crushing the ball of light. Just as suspected, the ball erupted into a miniature nova, bathing everything around me in fire and radiation. The surrounding mobs, trees and stones were atomized by the extreme heat. Once the heat faded, I looked around. Everything in a 1-mile expanse was decimated, leaving behind a charred clearing. I grinned at the destruction I wrought, then checked on the woman on my back. Gently lowering her to the ground, I looked over her injuries. She was severely bruised and, from what I could tell with out removing her jacket, she had been tortured with a knife several time. Lifting her back up, I sprinted towards my home. I managed to get there rather quickly, and once I was in our clearing, I laced my voice with magic, and shouted at the top of my lungs.

"CUPA! VINCENT! GET YOUR ASSES OUT HERE!" Within a few seconds, the two of them were out in front of my with a curious look on their faces.

"Cage what is-" Cupa's face paled when she saw I was holding someone. "Oh my Notch, Andy!" She ran over to the unconscious woman in my arms, looking her over. "What did you do to her!?"

"I saved her, thank you very much." I snapped, offended. "Vincent, I need you to melt down some Endirium, stat."

"Right!" He said, immediately understanding the situation. I turned to Cupa and handed her the woman.

"Follow me." I demanded, walking over to the entrance of my lab.

"What are you doing?" She asked.

"We're taking her down to my lab." I explained taking off my coat. "I need to patch her up and fast. She far more injured than I can currently see, so I've gotta work fast." I looked back over my shoulder to see tears in Cupa's eyes. "She's a friend of your's, isn't she?" She nodded and held the woman close. "Don't worry, she'll be fine. I'm not gonna let her die."

"Thank you." She said between sobs.

"Don't thank me yet." I said. "I haven't saved her yet." She nodded and stepped into the elevator. I hesitated, and looked at the Enderman. 'You better survive.' I thought to myself. 'I can't have you die on me.' With that thought, I stepped into the elevator, mentally preparing for the operation ahead.

-?'s POV-

The first thing I noticed when I woke up was that I was on a really comfortable bed. I slowly opened my eyes and looked around. The room was small and, thankfully, dimly lit. Behind me was a massive window, which seem to look out on a pitch black room. Looking to the left of that window, there was a person bent over a table. Curious, I shifted on the bed and tried to stand, only for my legs to give out from under me. I would've hit the floor, if it weren't for the person at the table catching me.

"Looks like you've finally woken up." He said softly, his voice lined with relief. I looked up at him, avoiding his eyes.

"Thanks." I said as he lifted me back onto the bed. "Where am I, and who are you?"

"You are in my underground lab," he explained with a grand gesture, "and my name's Cage."

"What am I doing down here? I feel like shit..." I said, rubbing my temples.

"I would imagine." He said with a chuckle, sitting down next to me. "You were in critical condition when I brought you down here. I wasn't sure you'd live, but it seems my patch job did the trick." I looked myself over and saw what he meant. Across many places on my body were stitches and my chest was heavily bandaged.

"What happened?" I asked, struggling to remember the past few days.

"I found a group of humanized mobs holding you captive, and saved you. You put up a good fight at the end, but you had your Ender Pearl ripped out of your chest. Until a new one is created, the wound on your chest won't heal."

"I h-had my p-pearl ripped out!?" I exclaimed, placing my hand on my chest. "How am I still alive?"

"I've created a small machine that feeds Endirium into your bloodstream. It's currently around your waist and sustaining your life." Looking down, I saw a small black case on a belt on my waist. From it protruded small, thin tubing filled with a dark green liquid. I examined it with awe, curious as to how the little machine worked. I was about to ask Cage about it when I heard something thump against the window. Looking up, I gasped when I saw a massive eye looking through the glass, it's gaze casting a ominous glow into the room. The glow didn't reach far, but every thing it touched began to deteriorate, the metal walls rusting, the woolen floor yellowing with age, even the chair Cage had been sitting in turned to dust. After a few minutes the eyes moved away, the glow fading with its departure.

"What in the actual fuck was that!?" I screamed once the eye had fully faded away. "And what happened to the room!?"

"That was," Cage started, looking around the room with an irritated expression, "shall we say, a project of mine. I keep it locked in that room so it can't do any really harm to anyone. As for the damage to the room, this is easily repaired."

"How!? Those walls were made of a rare steel alloy! Something like that can't be easily replaced!" I immediately got a stare of disbelief from Cage, causing me to feel uncomfortable. "What?"

"I'm gonna have to ask you some questions," he said, turning around towards the damage, cracking his knuckles, "but first, I need to fix this." I watched on in a combination of disbelief and awe as tendrils of what seemed like red lightning snaked their way across his arms, gathering at his hands. As he passed his hands over the wall, the room was bathed in light, the wall being repaired as he went. It was then I got a good look at the person who had taken care of me. He was taller than me, but not by much, was nicely built, and had dark blonde hair that went to the middle of his back, much like mine. I couldn't see his eyes, which was good, considering I'd been trying to avoid them so I didn't accidentally read his memories. It wasn't long before he was finished. The walls and floor looked brand new and his chair was back to its original shape. With a heavy sigh, he walked over to the bed and flopped down onto his back. He laid there a moment before speaking.

"So," he started, looking over at me, frowning when I averted my eyes, "your name's Andy, huh?" My eyes went wide when I heard the nickname by best friend gave me.

"How do you know that name!?" I demanded, grabbing hold of his shirt and dragging him in front of me. I stared directly into his eyes, trawling his memories, fearing for my friend.

"You don't need to look through my memories to know if Cupa's okay." He said, shocking me enough to allow him to break free. His face was beet red, not from anger, but from embarrassment, because I had begun to pick through some rather unflattering thoughts, some of which made my face turn red. "I'd prefer if you'd warn me if you were going to do that. Still, your memories didn't get away unread, either. I saw when you and Cupa first met, and I have an idea as to why that gang of mobs attacked you." I shrank away as he moved towards me. He grabbed my chin and stared me dead in the eyes. For the first time I got a good look at his eyes, and the sight took my breath away. His eyes were iridescent, constantly shifting color in the light, making each a kaleidoscope of color. We stayed like that for a minute or two before he spoke.

"Please don't avert your eyes from mine." He said, surprising me. "So long as you warn me, I don't care if you trawl my memories. I've got nothing to hide, and your eyes are much too beautiful to not gaze at." I could feel my face grow red from his comment. He released my chin and sat down next to me. For some reason, I couldn't take my eyes off of him. He seemed so at ease, sitting next to someone who could know everything about him with one gaze into his eyes. There he sat, calm, collected and allowing sparks to jump from fingertip to fingertip as he thought. "Your name's Andr, right?" He said suddenly, causing me to jump.

"Yeah. So, what exactly did you see when you trawled my mind?" I asked anxious to know if he saw some of the thoughts I had when I first got a good look at him.

"Not much, really. I saw yours and Cupa's friendship and that both of you are rather important. I saw the events preceding your capture, and the hellacious fight you put up." He nudged me playfully, "Did you really have to make his head explode?" I grinned evilly at him before answering.

"Oh, he got off easy," I said, chuckling a bit at the thought, "there was so much more that I could've done to him."

"Umm, phrasing." He said simply, causing me go into a fit of laughter. He joined me in the laughter, falling back on the bed. Once we calmed down, one of his sadder memories came to mind.

"Hey, Cage?"

"Hmm?"

"What was your childhood like?" Once those words left my mouth, I realized I brought up something that was a touchy subject for him. His face didn't change, but I could see sadness and rage fill his eyes.

"How to describe it..." He contemplated. "Well the best way to explain it with out ranting is absolutely horrid. Aside from the friends that also live at this base, I've never really had a family. I had two adults who didn't give a damn about me, and a household that never really was a home. Shade, my best friend, has it far worse than me, however. His family disowned him the moment he was born, and his mother only sees him as a source of income. He moved out early in life, holding a job since he was 16. He doesn't even carry his family's last name."

"That's horrible! How could parents do that to their children!?"

"Greed and laziness do horrible things to people's minds. Thanks to the way I was raised, however, I've learned to accept and overcome all that life throws at me. I tend not to complain at the cards in my hand, and will beat Fate's."

"Well, that's one way to do it." I said with a soft chuckle. I looked down and sifted through his childhood memories, tearing up as I watched him struggle through his life. As I watched, it amazed me that he went through life with a smile, not giving a damn how bad things seemed. His struggles got easier as he got older, more able to defend himself. The one memory that caused me to start crying was when his father through him out in the snow for spilling his father's drink. The young Cage was stricken with hypothermia afterwards, stuck at the hospital with only his friends to support the cost. This was the only time I've seen Cage cry in any of his memories, not because his father nearly caused him to die, but because his friends went out of their way to cover his medical expenses. He wept for his friends, for his real family, nearly killing themselves with exhaustion just to support him. I looked over the man next to me and saw someone who cares deeply for those close to his heart, someone who'd do anything to keep his loved ones safe. I smiled lightly and laid my head on his chest, much to his surprise.

"Andr!? What're doing?" He asked, his face becoming bright red.

"You're a really kind person, you know that?" I said, listening to his heartbeat. "You care so much for your friends and you went out of your way to help a total stranger. Why?"

"Why am I so kind?" He seemed to roll this question around in his head a bit before answering. "I think it's because I want to give everyone the kindness I didn't receive when I was young. I don't like treating people poorly, and will give a stranger the benefit of the doubt."

"I can see that." I said with a nod.

"By the way," he said, sitting up, "how'd you know what the walls were made of?"

"Oh!" I exclaimed, as I had forgotten what had started the whole conversation. "I've always been a science nut, but I've never really had time to test any of my ideas. So I've always studied up on what makes up different blocks, even making my own microscope to help." I looked over to Cage to find him staring at me with awe, causing me to blush. He was up in a flash, bringing his microscope from his desk over to me, placing a small piece of metal under it.

"Tell me what makes up this metal! Please!" I giggled a bit at his anticipation, then peered through the microscope.

"This is an impressive alloy," I said after a bit of studying, "it's made up of Cobalt, Adamantium, and Emerald. I'm guessing it's highly durable, and, due to its high melting point, it's used in heat displacement panels on reactors." I looked up at Cage, and, thanks to his reaction, I could tell I was right. He stood there for a bit, then wrapped me in a massive hug.

"My god," he said after releasing me, "I think I've found my lab assistant!"

"W-What!?" I exclaimed, still a little frazzled from the hug. "I-I couldn't possibly..."

"Sure you could!" He said, a massive grin spreading across his face. "I've tried getting my friends to help me, but not one of them can make heads or tails of my work. You, however, can really help me out!"

"I-I don't know..." I stuttered out, blushing at his praise.

"Well, think about it for now." He said, standing up. "Right now, you need to focus on recovering enough to walk. Once you've achieved that, you can give me your answer then. Now, I've been putting this off long enough."

"Putting off what?" I asked, watching him walk over to the door.

"Why," he said with a warm smile, "your reunion with your friends, of course."

-Cage's POV-

I opened the door out into the hallway and stuck my head out. Just outside sat a very worried Terra, Skelly and Cupa. The three of them hadn't left my lab since the day after I brought Andr down. The three of them looked over at me, hope filling their eyes.

"She's awake." I said, smiling at their sighs of relief. "She's recovering at an increasing rate, so you can go see her if you want." Cupa was the first to blow past me into the room, tackle hugging the defenseless Endergirl behind me.

"Andy!" She sobbed as she wrapped her tighter in a hug. "Thank Notch, you're alive! I was so worried! When Cage brought you here, you were hardly breathing. Now your up and moving again!" Andr went into a giggle fit as Cupa continued to hug her as tight as she could, eyes going wide when she spotted Skelly and Terra wander into the room.

"Skelly! Terra! What are you guys doing here!?" She asked.

"I'm hiding out here for a while." Skelly explained. "And Terra's living here with her boyfriend, Shade. As for Cupa, she's been paling around with a guy named Gabriel. The two are crazy about each other, but miss thing over there keeps shying away."

"Shut up!" Cupa screamed, face turning bright red. All of us burst out laughing at Cupa's expense, much to her dismay. After the laughter died down, the girls got into a round of questioning, exchanging stories of how each of them found their way into my friend's home. I chuckled as Terra told her's, the other girls staring in awe when she recollected her romantic encounter with Shade, her cheeks reddening with each word. I eventually decided it was best to let the girls have some time alone and left the room. I could feel Andr's gaze on my back as I closed the door behind me, almost feeling like she was trying to keep me in the room. I walked down the hallway and stopped in front of the door to my firing range. I mainly used it to test out new spells, but today, I have a new purpose. I need to test out my spells, but this time, speaking the incantation in Eldritch. If my theory was true, then I've got a lot of research to do. I walked inside and stepped up to the first target. Normally, if it was one of my weaker spells, I'd say the words in my mind, and the spell would be cast, but I decided it'd be best to say the words to start. I thought the words for my basic lightning spell in my head then raised my hand.

"Electrica Manibus!" I commanded, conjuring up a blot of lightning. Much to my surprise, the normally weak bolt reduced the target to ash and melted the surrounding metal with ease. I grinned with anticipation and decided to kick up the spells a notch. I moved to one of my bigger targets and drew upon the Eldritch words for Nether's Inferno.

"Neque Incendio!" The words commanded a massive firestorm that engulfed the entirety of my range, decimating everything in the room in a flash. I gazed at the destruction and began to laugh. "Well I'll be damned! Even though it should be impossible, it seems I've gained the ability to speak Eldritch!" I continued to laugh until a thought came to mind. "Wait, that voice in my head a few days ago...could've it been... No. Fucking. Way." I flipped open the spellbook, as it never leaves my pocket, and read the opening passage again. "I'm...the descendant of the First Witch...that explains so much..." My head began to reel as I tried to understand what this meant. I stumbled out of the firing range and back to my room to find Andr alone.

"Your back!" She said with a smile, which faded when she saw how haggard I was. "What happened?"

"Slide over." I said flopping down on the bed. "I'm gonna get some sleep here. I'll explain what's going on later." I closed my eyes and became deep in thought. My train of thought was disrupted when I felt Andr laid her head on my chest. I opened one and looked down at her to see two purple jewels staring back at me.

"I'll accept your offer." She said, closing her eyes and nuzzling into my chest. All I could do is smile at the beautiful creature currently resting on me, but one sad thought crept into my mind, keeping my thoughts out of the gutter.

'You'll have to leave her if you get close.' I thought to myself. The thought made me slightly depressed as I fell asleep, but the shocking truth as to what I was overtook. As sleep gained more and more power, all I could think about was just how I came to be the descendant of the most powerful mystical being. Just as I fell asleep, I could practically feel the First nodding with approval, praising me on my discovery.

-Chapter 7 End-

**_Hmmm, things are starting to become interesting. So Cage is the descendant of an extremely powerful being, but is he the only one... Who can say..._**


	9. Chapter 8

**_Hey everyone! Well, here it is! Chapter 8 has arrived! I hope you guys like it as much as the previous ones. Thanks for the support._**

**_DICLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft_**

-Gabe's POV-

"Heads up!" I called down the tree, dropping a basket of apples to a waiting Cupa below. Catching the basket with ease, she hoisted it into the cart next to her and gave me the thumbs up. I jumped down the tree, then drug the cart to the storage shed where we kept our apples.

"And that's that!" Cupa cheered after I put the lock on the door. We gave each other a high five and began to walk towards the house when we saw everyone gathered outside.

"Hey!" Cage called. "Get your asses over here! We're having lunch!"

"Lunch time!" I said happily, rushing towards the table. I was about to sit down, when Cupa pulled my chair out from under me and stole it. I felt my face grow hot as everyone laughed at Cupa's trick, and quickly took the seat next to her. As everyone chowed down on the food set before us, I noticed that Cage had the same serious demeanor that he had when meeting were held.

"What's on your mind?" Shade said, beating me to the punch.

"Hmm?" Cage asked, snapping out of his funk. "Oh, there was something I wanted to talk to you guys about, but I'm unsure how to tell you."

"Just spit it out, for fuck's sake!" Shade said with a chuckle. "There's little that you can say that I won't believe!" Cage was silent until Andr put her hand on his shoulder, flashing my a reassuring smile.

"I'm sure you're all familiar with the legend of the First, yes?" He asked us. Once we all nodded, he continued. "It turns out it's more than a legend. It turns out I'm the descendant of the First Witch." We all sat there in a stunned silence, allowing his words sink in. "I understand that this is difficult to process, but that's not all I've found. During my research, I've found that there are currently six more descendants in the world of Minecraftia."

"That's incredible..." Terra said, her voice trembling. "One of my friends is a First...this is awesome!" Cage's eyes went wide at Terra's outburst, which was followed be a cheer from everyone.

"So what did your research on your brethren turn up?" Erica asked.

"Only seven riddles, or, rather clues. In the spellbook left to me, the First Witch left seven clues that will mark the awakening of each First's true abilities. They're stated as follows; In the search of the First, look for the signals. Their predecessors shall speak these words through them before they may strive for themselves.

'Through knowledge shall the Witch lead the First,

Through evil's curse shall the Wither taint it's ground,

Through a lover's rage shall the Creeper regain his explosive grasp,

Through poison and fatal impact shall the Spiders be free to roam,

Through self-sacrifice shall the Skelton's arrows always strike true,

Through kindred duel shall the Zombie Pigman regain it's damned blade and power,

Through their own blade shall the Enderman stalk the shadows once again.'" With that, Cage sat down, looking exhausted. We all sat there, contemplating what he had just said.

"Seems we've got a lot to do." Shade said. We all looked at him, surprised. "We've got to find Cage's brethren, it be interesting anyway."

"No, Shade." Cage said, standing up. "It's my task alone to locate them. You guys need to focus something else anyway." He finished with a smug smile, looking around at us. I thought for a bit, then remembered my plans for tonight.

"He's right!" I exclaimed, causing most of my friends to jump. "Tomorrow's Christmas!"

"Oh shit!" Jack said, "I totally forgot! I'll be back later, I need to run to Tezi!" With that, he sprinted of towards the village, warping from time to time. The rest of our group began talking excitedly about the upcoming holiday. I laughed as everyone discussed plans, having plans of my own.

"So," Cupa said, startling me a bit, "what'd you get me?"

"Can't tell you!" I said with a chuckle. "But I do plan on give you your gift tonight. So just be patient." Once I finished, Cupa pouted and slouched in her chair, trying to guilt me into telling her. I only chuckled and walked towards the house, needing to prepare. Walking into my room, I begun to pack a bag for Cupa and I, making sure I had everything I needed. Time passed quickly as I prepared, night falling just when I finished all my preparations. I looked out the window, and, seeing it was night, when to Cupa's room to wake her up. Opening the door, I found her sitting on her bed, jacket on and ready to go. I chuckled at how sharp she was then motioned for her to follow. We snuck out of the house, a fountain of questions coming from Cupa once we we're outside.

"Where are we going?" She asked at the end of her string of questioning. With a chuckle I continued walking, Cupa trailing behind. We walked through the forest, evading the numerous feral mobs and eventually breaking through into a desert. I've always known she's had a thing for deserts because she always admires the sand swept dunes, the beautiful oases, and the artistically built desert temples. This time was no exception. She was enraptured by the beauty of a desert at night. It wasn't long until she spotted our destination.

"I-Is that-" She stammered, her voice cut off by awe.

"Yes," I said with a grin, "it's a pyramid. I haven't touched it, because I wanted to share the experience with you. So what do you say? Want to raid it?" She looked over at me as a child-like glee filled her eyes.

"Hell yeah!" She cheered, sprinting with surprising speed. I took off after her and before too long, we were in front of the massive structure. We both sucked in breaths of awe at the imposing building and begun looking for a way into the structure. After a while, we found a tunnel into the depths of it's catacombs. We began our descent, only for Cupa to stumble a bit once she crossed the threshold.

"Woah!" I exclaimed, catching her. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said shakily, "just a bit lightheaded, is all. Come on, let's keep going." I watched as she took a few shaky steps, then leaned against the wall to catch her breath.

"Are you sure your okay?" I asked, looking her over. She was about to answer when another voice rang out through the tunnels.

"Oh, our little princess is far from okay." The voice said with a sinister cackle. A large amount of footsteps moved towards our position, moving down from the tunnel before us. From the shadows emerged a group of humanized creepers. I watched with curiously as Cupa's eyes filled with fear and rage.

"Derax..." She seethed. "What's filth like you doing here?" The dark-skinned creeper in the middle laughed before speaking.

"Now, now," he said mockingly, "that's no way for a princess to speak. Shouldn't you be more courteous?" Rather than speaking, Cupa just gave him a death glare. He laughed another cold laugh and walked up to the obviously unwell girl, grabbing her wrist.

"Let go of me!" She screamed, trying to escape.

"It's no use, princess!" He chuckled. "We've set up a explosive suppression device on this pyramid. It's set to your power, there's no escape." Before he could drag her too far, I grabbed ahold of his arm and flipped him over my shoulder, feeling his wrist break in the process.

"You will not touch her!" I seethed, raising my fists. The creeper looked at me awestruck, a look that quickly changed one of disgust.

"I knew I recognized your scent!" He said with a sneer. "You have the same scent as those two humans who killed me and my men a few weeks back! Oh, this is rich! Now I get to slaughter two threats!" As those words left his mouth, he was on me. He drove his fist into my stomach, knocking the breath out of me, but I refused to go down. I delivered a devastating uppercut, launching him backwards. "Holy hell!" He exclaimed as he sat up. "That's a hell of a punch! No human should be able to hit that hard! No matter...you'll still die here!" With that he was on me again, this time slamming his fist into my jaw, a concussive layer of air lining his fist. The blast sent me flying backwards, slamming me into a wall. I started to stand back up when I felt something break against my back. My body suddenly felt like there was a ton of lead inside each limb.

"I got him, bossss!" I heard a voice hiss out above me. I strained to look up and saw Derax smiling down at me.

"That was a nice attempt, human." He snickered. "But futile nonetheless. Now be a good boy and watch." He turned and walked over to where Cupa was and flashed an evil grin at the helpless girl. Reaching into his pack, he pulled out a sheathed dagger and grabbed Cupa's hair, pulling her head back.

"It doesn't matter if you kill me, Derax!" She said defiantly. "I'll just respawn."

"No," he said, drawing the dagger, "after this, you won't." The dagger was as dark as midnight and seemed to draw the light out of the tunnel. Cupa's eyes flooded with fear at the sight of it.

"That dagger," she said, voice trembling, "it can't be..."

"Oh, but it is." He said, grinning at her expression. "This dagger's made of Adminium. The only metal capable of truly ending a mob's life!"

"No..." I grunted out, struggling to stand. I watched as he raised the dagger, the bastard savoring every second. As if on instinct, I managed to stand and reached for the oblivious creeper who slowed me. As I reached for his neck, I swear I heard a voice say 'That's it! Claim him!'"

-Cupa's POV-

I closed my eyes and prepared myself for the inevitable end. I could hear Derax's twisted chuckle in my ear, felt the dagger press against my throat, and just as the dagger began to shift, I heard a small concussion and a sickening crack come from Gabe's direction. I snapped my eyes open to a horrid but awe striking sight. Gabe, who shouldn't be able to move, was standing, holding the support creeper in the air with one arm, the creeper's head twisted at an unnatural angle. The look in his eyes wasn't the same Gabe I knew, it was primal rage, and when he spoke, the voice wasn't his.

"Through a lover's rage, I have regain my explosive grasp! The Creeper walks Minecraftia once again!" He said with a laugh. The voice faded, Gabe's voice returning to normal. He looked over the remaining creepers, a cold fury in his eyes, and laughed again. The laugh was hollow, threatening, and, if anything, evil.

"Put him down boys!" Derax shouted to his men. The Fire Creepers were the first to act, tossing Molotovs at the man before them. The bottles shattered, dousing Gabe with the flammable liquid, causing him to burst into flames. I gasped in horror as I watched the flames devour him, or so I thought. The flames died down with insane speed, almost as if he were absorbing it. He raised his arm, hand held out like something was in his hand. With blinding speed, he rushed one of his assailants. He hit them with the open hand and back away. The hit immediately burst into flames, quickly consuming the poor creature. The other Fire creep stared at his comrade's ashes as rage overtook his features.

"You bastard!" He screamed, running at Gabe. He took a swing at my friend, only hitting air. Gabe grabbed his collar in response, ramming his elbow into the back of his head, the skull giving way under the pressure. Dropping the dead creeper, Gabe continued his advance, the same rage in his eyes. The Magma Creepers stood against him next, chucking the ceramic canisters of napalm at my would-be savior. The ceramic broke, but before the wicks could light the volatile sludge, Gabe absorbed it into his skin. Lashing out, he grabbed the heads of both creepers and drove them to the ground, hands leaving behind napalm. We all watched in a combo of horror and awe as Gabe struck his thumb and middle fingernails on both hands together, sparks flying from each. The resulting sparks lit the napalm on the creepers' faces, leaving screaming in agony. Once again, Gabe continued his advance on the Death Creeper holding me hostage, only stopping to dismantle the three normal Creepers. In a matter of seconds, he stood before me and Derax, eyeing his prey. I felt the dagger press closer against my throat, and, looking up, I could see the fear in Derax's eyes.

"Not a step closer!" He demanded.

"Release her..." Gabe demanded with a low growl.

"Like I'd take orders from you! Now turn around and walk away! If you leave now I'll let you live!" He looked over at me, asking me a silent question. I simply nodded and braced myself.

"Then you leave me no choice!" With those words, he slammed his foot into the ground. A chain of explosions rushed towards me. Shutting my eyes, I braced myself, awaiting for death to claim me once again, only to feel a burst of hot air around me. I opened my eyes to find the area around me unharmed. Letting loose a sigh of relief, I noticed something was still on my shoulder, only to realize it was Derax's arm. With a rather girlish shriek, I brushed off the detached limb and ran over to Gabe, who immediately wrapped me in a hug.

"Thank God, you're alright!" He said, sounding like he was on the verge of tears. I looked up at him, smiling even though tears were streaming down my face.

"Thank you, Gabe..." I said, burying my face into his chest, "I was so scared. I-I really thought I was going to die."

"Oh, you're still going to, you royal bitch!" A voice cried out behind me. I spun around to see Derax running at us, dagger brandished. I was about to take a swing at him when Gabe stepped in front of me and kicked him square in the chest. The Death Creep went flying, crashing through a wall, which promptly collapsed onto him. I sighed with relief, then squeaked a bit when Gabe hoisted me onto his back.

"Why didn't you tell me you were humanized?" He asked as we walked. The question took me by surprise. Gabe's usually never digs into my past.

"I-I was so afraid you'd hate me..." I said, tearing up a bit. "So many people don't trust me because of what I am, but you treated me with such kindness. I didn't want to ruin it."

"That's a poor excuse." He said, rather bluntly. "I've known you were a Creeper for a long time. I don't given a damn either way. All it takes is getting to know the person to cause either enemies, friends, or, in my case, completely fall for someone." I felt my face grow hot at his confession, unsure what to say. It is true that I've been smitten with him ever since I first laid eyes on him, but the fact that he was human caused me to suppress my feelings. As I dwelled in my thoughts, I felt a hand caress my cheek. Looking up I saw Gabe's eyes gazing warmly at me. I could feel my doubts melt away as those eyes peered at me, but one still nagged at my mind.

"The truth is, Gabe," I said, tearing up again, "I do love you, I really do, but you have to leave in a few months, right? I don't think my heart could take it if you left me."

"I've already decided I'm staying." He said, taking me by surprise. I jumped off his back and stared at him.

"But, what about your friends!?" I asked. "What'll you do when they return to Earth?" A small smile curled his lips before he continued.

"That's just it. Aside from Cage, everyone has decided to stay. We have more of a home here than anywhere else." I stared at the man before me, awestruck by his decision. We stood there for a long time before I finally spoke.

"Oh, Notch..." I sobbed, not from sadness, but from joy. "Oh, thank Notch!" With those words I tackle hugged Gabe, planting a kiss on his lips. He held me close, his arms acting as an unspoken promise to defend me. We remained like that for what seemed like eternity, only to break away for air. I looked up into those warm eyes of his and saw love filling them. With a smile, he hoisted me back onto his back and we continued back towards the base. We were almost there when a thought pricked my mind.

"Oh shit!" I exclaimed. "I never got you a gift!"

"It's okay." He said with a chuckle. "You've already given me more than I could ever wish for." I felt my face grow hot once again as we walked back into the house. All I could do was smile as I clung to his back, listening to his breathing, smelling the familiar scent of gunpowder in his hair, lulling me to sleep.

-Chapter 8 End-

**_Aww, what a pair, huh? Once again, I hope you guys enjoyed a little ass-kickery! I'll see y'all's in chapter 9!_**


	10. Chapter 9

_**Sorry for the wait, but balancing college and fanfictions is pretty hard. But, without further ado, I present to you Chapter 9!**_

_**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft!**_

-Vincent's POV-

"Damn..." I groaned as I sat up in my bed. I was sore as hell from the Christmas party the night before. Chuckling, I thought back to the gifts everyone had exchanged. Cage had made a custom Ender Pearl for Andr. The pearl was made of Red Endirium, the most volatile, and powerful, strain of the strange metal. In order to stabilize it, Cage had implanted a singularity from Applied Energistics in side the already stunning pearl. The singularity seemed to swirl inside of the red crystal, causing a stunning effect. The pearl's energy combined with the gravity of the singularity made it damn near indestructible and allowed Andr to teleport between dimensions. The sight of it had driven Andr to tears, calling Cage an idiot for doing something so risky but hugging him so tightly that he could barely breathe. Shade's gift to Terra was equally stunning. The guy had a way with materials from the Nether and found a way to process soul sand into a type of glass. The material was pitch black, but if you looked and listens closely, you could see the faces and hear the voices of the souls trapped inside. Using Nether Quartz to clear up the glass a bit, and, after days of hunting in the Nether, finally found a Darkwood tree. The trees had solid black leaves, dark blue wood, and beautiful sea green blossoms. He had retrieved one of those blossoms and encased it in the glass he had made. He had me make a gold chain for it, and when Terra pulled the necklace out of the box, we all stifled a gasp at its beauty. Terra stared in awe as Shade placed it around her neck, the blossom contrasting sharply with her eyes. She was speechless at the beautiful necklace, and simply kissed Shade as way of thanks. Jack and Erica had special weapons made for each other. Jack had me make a custom .50 caliber rifle, which consisted of a special Manyullyn/Alumite alloy. The metal is silver highly durable, light as a feather, and did an amazing job absorbing recoil. I even custom made the rounds, each having an Adamantium tip, meaning they can pierce damn near anything. Erica beamed when she was handed the shining weapon, then blushed as she handed Jack his gift. It was a new blade, black as midnight. The metal was an alloy between the glass Shade had discovered, Diamond and Nether Quartz. The blade had a little heft to it, but it was sharp and sturdy enough to cut through Manyullyn like a hot knife through butter. Jack admired the blade, a sly grin curling his lips. He thanked Erica for the gift and flashed her a bright smile, causing her to blush. The rest of us laughed at her embarrassment, then turned out attention to Gabe and Cupa. The two of them had been holding each other close all day, meaning they had finally confessed to each other. All of us smiled and started the real party. Cage broke out the drinks, non-alcoholic ones for those who either couldn't handle or didn't like the rum he had made. I thought I was delicious, as did everyone else, even though it's the cause of my killer headache. I couldn't remember anything after that, but I decided it would be best to not worry about it and get up. I slid out of bed and walked into my smithy. First thing I did was take inventory of my smelted metals and raw materials. As I expected, my stocks of raw ores was almost depleted. Slightly excited at being able to head back to the mines, I quickly packed my bags and set off towards the mineshaft. Cage had upgraded the entrance, placing an elevator. I stepped inside and hit the button to the floor that held my special place. Picking my way through the tunnels, I opened up the wall to the lake of lava and walked inside.

"This is the best place to get the main thing I need." I said to myself, pulling several buckets of water out of my pack. "I'm gonna need plenty of obsidian if I'm going to make any of my specialized alloys." I took the first bucket and sloshed the water onto the lava, some of the surface transforming into the purple stone I was looking for. Slipping on my fireproof gloves I use in my smithing, I grabbed the edges of the slab and hoisted it out of the molten rock. Using my pick, I broke down the slab into manageable pieces and fit them into my pack. I repeated the process a few times until my ore pack was about half full. Placing my pick back into my pack, I noticed my lunch was missing. I frantically searched the surrounding area, only to find a woman chowing on my sandwiches. She had greenish hair tied back in a ponytail, bright golden eyes, a pink and white striped tank top, a scabbard laying next to her, and a pair of jeans with one of the legs cut off. I could feel anger build as she continued to eat.

"What the hell do you think you're doing!?" I yelled at the girl, causing her to jump.

"I could ask you the same thing!" She yelled back when she regained her composure. "I come here, to find you harvesting my spot for obsidian! What the hell's wrong with you!?"

"Your spot!?" I scoffed. "Yeah right! I've been coming here for the past three months! Now are you going to explain why your eating my lunch!?" Rather than answer my question, she shot me a cold glare. Scarfing down the remainder of the sandwich and stood up.

"So it was you who dug that blasted tunnel..." She seethed. "You've got a lot of nerve for invading my territory. Of course, there are consequences." She further amplified her point by drawing her blade. At first glance, the blade seemed to be made of gold, but my keen eye for metal told me otherwise. The shining metal had a dark tinge to it, indicating that it was a gold alloy, most likely a strong one. In response, I drew mine and leveled it at her.

"I have no desire to fight," I said as I took my stance,"but I can see that there's no reasoning with you." The words had barely left my mouth before she flew at me. I easily parried the blow and landed a fist to her stomach. She coughed a bit before looking up at me with surprise.

"Impressive!" She said. "I didn't know there were humans that could block that attack."

"Your "attack" left you wide open." I chided, rolling my eyes. "It'll take more than that to bring me down."

"Is that so?" She asked, a cold smile curling her lips. "Then block this!" She flew at me once again, but with much more skill and force. It took all I had to keep her sword from cutting deep. Before long, she had backed me up to the lava lake and knock my blade from my hands. "Checkmate." She said with a smug grin, uppercutting my into the air.

'It's not a bad way to go' I thought to myself as I fell towards the lava below, but just before I hit the molten rock, I felt something shift inside of me, like the very fiber of my being changed. As I hit the lava, I felt no pain and I heard a voice in my head begin to speak.

'Time for Round 2!'

-?'s POV-

Turning my back on the unfortunate soul in the lava behind me, I picked up his sword and was awestruck by its make. The blade was black with strips of red lacing through it. I could tell that the red was Adamantium, but the black material was completely foreign to me.

"Whoever he was," I said with a sigh, "he was an amazing smith. Makes me feel kinda shitty for killing him." I walked over to his pack and picked through it, admiring his armor and pickaxes, all of which were made of materials I've never seen before, which was amazing considering I see myself as a blacksmith. I was about to pocket some gold I found in the bottom of his bag when I felt a presence behind me, and a ominous one at that. I lashed out only to have my wrist caught and my arm twisted up behind me. I cried out in pain and tried to break freedom, looking behind me to see who my assailant was. Much to my surprise and horror, it was the very same human who I had launched into the lava, but he didn't seem human anymore. His eyes were golden, just like mine and his presence and strength were totally different than before. With a single fluid motion, he disarmed me then sent me flying into a wall. I shakily stood up and stared at the man before me, curious as how he was still alive. I contemplated on running for my blade, but his stance made it clear that I wasn't going to be able to make it anywhere close. With a sigh, I stretched my arms out to my sides, hands hanging limp.

"I'm sorry for this," I said, tapping into the surrounding gold deposits, "but this time, stay dead!" With that I drew the surrounding gold out of the walls, molded it into spikes and launched them at the man. The spires of the shining metal careened towards him, only to stop short and hover in mid-air. Whilst the points of the spikes were turning in my direction, he spoke for the first time ever since he crawled out of the lava.

"Through kindred duel have my damned blade and power returned to me!" He said in a hollow voice. "The Zombie Pigman's blade now lies ready and eager to spill blood!" As those words his mouth, the spikes flew back at me. I managed to deflect most of them, but in the process, had to jump onto one of the obsidian spires. I watched in confusion as the man held his hand up towards me then closed his fist, but immediately found out the meaning when the obsidian closed up around me. Futility, I struggled to get free, fear rising as he drew closer. I stopped moving once he was in front of me, trembling in fear for the first time in my life. As he raised his hand, I closed my eyes and awaited the crushing pain of the obsidian reducing me to jelly, but only felt him cuff me upside the head. My eyes snapped open to be met with a warm glance being cast my way.

"You're an idiot, you know that?" He said with a laugh. All I could do was stare, flabbergasted be this sudden change in demeanor. "Will you behave if I let you loose?" I quickly nodded and the obsidian receded, allowing me to breathe normally.

"How'd you do that?" I asked him. "It's like Alchemy, but it's so different."

"What's Alchemy?" He asked, throughly confused.

"It's a natural ability for humanized Zombie Pigmen. It allows us to control and shape gold. In my case I can control iron as well, and can change their hardness, but it seems you can control obsidian. Not only that, but it's like you changed to a Zombie Pigman. What happened?"

"I'm not sure." He said. "I'll have to asked a friend of mine about it. So, what about this place?"

"You won..." I said, deflated. "You can have this place. It's only fair."

"Tell you what," he said with a grin, "I've got a suggestion. You seem pretty intelligible when it comes to metals, yes?"

"Well I do consider myself as blacksmith, but I can't even tell what alloys you're using."

"Fair enough, but you do seem reliable. So, how bout this; if you help me mine and work my forge, I'll let you use this place as much as you wish and set you up a room in my smithy. Deal?"

"Why would you even ask me that!?" I asked, genuinely surprised. "I just tried to kill you!"

"You're a worthy opponent." He said. "You have my respect, which is exactly why I didn't crush you and why I'm extending you this offer." I thought for a bit, rolling his words through my head.

"All right, I accept." I finally said.

"Then let's get started!" With that he jumped up and gathered his things. We spent the next few hours mining and talking, eventually finding out each other's names. I told him mine was Mina and he said his was Vincent. He told me how he ended up in Minecraftia and how even when Herobrine gives him the option to leave, he plans to stay. We lost track of time pretty quickly, and filled our pack in no time. It was a short trek to the surface, and I had to stop and marvel at the elevator, unsure if I wanted to get on. Eventually we made it back to his smithy, and the sight of it took my breath away. The room was huge, housing five six block tall forges and an abundance of Crystal chests, allowing me to see the shining metals inside. Vincent had me empty my ores into a chest so he could take inventory.

"Let's see," he said to himself, "we got a large of abundance of basic ores like Iron, Redstone, Diamond and the like, but there is a large amount of specialty ores like Dark Iron, Titanium, and Uranium, and I've never used the last two. This should be interesting!" He placed the remaining ores in the chest and took me over to one of the forges and put me to work. It's wasn't long until the two of us got into the groove, working away as sparks flew from our burning forges. We discovered a couple new alloys as we worked with the Titanium and Uranium, much to Vincent's joy. I couldn't help but feel at home here, where my desire to become an amazing smith actually helped. With a smile toward Vince, I worked harder, not out of a desire to prove my skill, but out of the will to stay.

-Chapter 9 End-

**_I hope you all are still enjoying my story! Thanks for the reviews and all the support!_**


	11. Chapter 10

**_Once again, sorry for the wait, but Chapter 10 has arrived! It's shorter, but I hope you guys like it nonetheless!_**

**_ DISCLAIMER: I don't own Minecraft!_**

-Peter's POV-

"Come on!" Shade called from next to the portal. "Pour on some speed, man! I'm not getting any younger!"

"Okay, okay!" I shouted back. "Hold your horses! I'm not as excited to go back to the Nether as you are, you know? Unlike you two, I'm not fireproof." We stood there, dead silent, only to start laughing and step through the portal. After a bit of purple, the three of us were in the Nether, Terra and Shade seeming at home among the flames. "So what's the plan?"

"Well," Terra started, "Shade and I are gonna head over past the Nether fortress and see what we can find there. As for you, why not scale one of the surrounding cliffs and see what's up there?"

"Not a bad idea." I said, nodding. "Alright, let's meet back here in a few hours and see what we collect." The two of them nodded and took off towards the fortress in the distance, leaving me alone. Turning around, I faced the sheer rock wall and begun the climb. The climb a laborious, as there were very few handholds, but the Bloodwood trees that grew on the cave ceilings made it easier. Before long, I reached the top of the cliff and was stunned by what I saw. It was a forest, in the Nether no less. The trees were gorgeous, some having snow white leaves and and gray trunks mottled with white spots, others having teal leaves and trunks. I wasn't 100% sure on what the teal ones were, but I knew for a fact the the white ones were Ghostwood. I walked through the forest, enjoying the beautiful scenery and collecting a few saplings from the trees so I could add them to my personal forest at home, smiling at the thought of the final Nether trees finally being in my collection. Now I just needed trees from the other dimensions to complete it. Gently placing the saplings in my pack, I continued on my way, admiring the beauty of the Nether. After a hour or so of wandering, I found a lava lake in the center of the forest. The lava, rather than the normal red or orange, was a bright blue, and seemed to glow in the low light, adding beauty to the surrounding Ghostwoods. Entranced by the gorgeous fluid, I pulled out a bucket and ladled out some of the molten rock and got a familiar scent from it.

"Well I'll be damned!" I said. "It's molten sulfur! Who knew it was so beautiful!" I placed the bucket into my pack, and spun around, only to catch a flash of white disappear from view. Slightly on edge, I drew my pistol and moved from cover to cover, looking for any sign of movement. After a while, I saw another flash of white, this time from straight ahead of me. I rushed the blur, tackling my quarry. I held my pistol steady as the dust settled, but soon holstered it when I saw what, or, rather, who I had pinned. It was a woman, easily 20, wearing a long, low cut, dress, long white gloves and had soft, red eyes and pure white hair. I remained where I was as she stared up at me with a mixture of disbelief and fear. We remained like that for a long time, eyes in a deadlock, before I finally spoke.

"Who are you?" I asked, softly. "Were you following me?"

"I-I'm sorry!" She said, looking away from me. "I-I didn't mean anything by it, but my curiosity was peaked when I saw you in this grove."

"Why?" I asked, shifting my weight as not to hurt her. "I'm just a guy admiring these beautiful trees. What's so interesting about me?"

"W-Well," she started, blushing, "for starters, you're pretty handsome, but the main thing is the that this grove is only supposed to be accessible by Ghasts, and you're definitely not a Ghast."

"Really?" I asked, blushing from her compliment. "I scaled the cliff with relative ease."

"What!? How!? That cliff is damn near smooth!"

"I've always excelled in climbing, being able to climb pretty much anything."

"That's pretty cool! Hey, umm, could you get off of me? You're making me hot." It took me a second to realize what she meant, and, once it hit me, I could feel my face grow insanely hot. I got off the woman with blazing speed, causing her to giggle.

"Sorry about that." I said, regaining my composure.

"Don't worry about it." She said, blushing brightly. "So, umm, what's your name?"

"Peter McGraff." I said, bowing a bit. "And what's yours?"

"Evelyn." She said simply.

"It's a pleasure. So what's a Ghast as lovely as you doing, drifting about here? Aside from stalking me, that is." I teased.

"I love this grove." She said, blushing a bit from my tease. "I've always loved Fusewood and Ghostwood trees, and this grove is one of the few that actually hold those trees. Up until now, I was the only person to know about it."

"Ah! A fellow tree lover! Well I hope it doesn't bother you too much, but I took a few saplings from the trees so I can add them to my personal grove back in the Overworld. I've managed to collect all the trees in the Overworld and now the Nether, but my collection is far from complete."

"You collect trees?" She asked with a giggle. "That's a first!"

"Hey! Don't laugh!" I said, indignant.

"It's just odd! I'd love to see it, though. I think it'd be beautiful."

"That it is." I said with a sigh. "Hopefully, with the addition of these rarities, it'll be drastically improved."

"I'm sure it will be." She said with a smile. "So, you here alone?"

"No, actually," I explained, "I'm actually here with a couple friends. They went to go check out a Nether Fortress, though."

"And you climbed up here?" She finished.

"Yep. That about sums it up." I agreed.

"You know, you seem familiar..." She said eyeing me. Suddenly, she jumped back, conjuring up a fireball. "Your that human that killed the feral Ghast a few months back!" I instinctively leveled my pistol at the woman before me, regret hitting me from my actions so long ago.

"Easy now..." I said, holstering my pistol again, "I don't want to fight. Normally, I'd never hurt a Ghast, but that was in self-defense. It was either that or get flung off the cliff like you did to my friends I can assume."

"Yes," she said, trembling slightly, "I was the one who killed him. Are you gonna kill me for revenge? I won't be so easy to bring down." The fireball grew in size and she cranked her arm back like she was going to throw it.

"I would," I started, sitting on a nearby stump, "if he had died. My friend miraculously survived that event and met his girlfriend. So I suppose I should thank you."

"Umm, what?" She asked, fire dissipating. "Your...welcome? But what about that Ghast?"

"Here," I said, tossing her a vial, "That holds the tear of the Ghast I killed. It reminds me of the mistake I made then, making sure I never make that mistake again." She stared at the vial, awestruck by my care. She tossed the vial back to me, which I promptly placed in my pocket, and stood in silence. She looked like she was about to say something when a massive explosion rocked the cliff.

"What the hell was that!?" She screamed, looking for the source.

"I don't know," I said, drawing attention to the direction of the fortress, "but I don't like the looks of that." From in behind the fortress was a colossal pillar of black energy. Just looking at it struck fear into my heart, all the way down to the primal level, but one feeling pervaded my fear; worry. I quickly realized that my friends were over there, and took off to the edge of the cliff.

"Oh no..." I said, staring at the pillar, "Oh, God, no... Evelyn! Do you think you can fly me over there?"

"Yes," she said, confused, "but why?"

"Because my friends, Shade and Terra, are over there!"

"Terra! Terra's over there!? Alright, grab hold." I grabbed her hand as she took off at top speed towards the pillar, clearing the distance quite quickly.

'Shade...Terra...' I thought to myself, 'please be okay...'

-Chapter 10 End-

**_Only one word: CLIFFHANGER! What has happened? What caused such a massive explosion? Well, I can't tell you yet. You just have to wait. :3_**


	12. Chapter 11

_**Alright, I need to get a couple thing out of the way before the chapter. First, I'm so sorry that this chapter didn't get out sooner. Family and college made it difficult to do so. Second, holy shit balls, Batman, we've hit 1000 views! This means so much to me guys, thank you! Finally, I want to give thanks to all the people who have left me reviews and have favorited my story. Most of all, I've got to thank SylentDoom. He's been a huge help in writing this story and helping me smooth out the edges in the stories that aren't out yet, so kudos to you, man! Thank you for all the support, guy, and without further ado, I give you Chapter 11!**_

-Shade's POV-

"Finally!" I cheered as I pulled the final chunk of Cobalt ore from the ground. "That was a massive vein. Vince and Mina are going to love this!" Loading the deep blue ore into my pack, I climbed out of the hole. "Hey Terra! How goes the Quartz?" I called over to a hole in the cliff not too far from me.

"Just finished, actually!" She said once her head popped out of the cave. She ran over to me and showed off the massive amount of the shining crystals she had gotten.

"Damn!" I whistled. "That's an impressive haul!"

"Thanks!" She giggled. "So that's the last two things on our supply list, huh?"

"Yep! So we're free to do whatever we want for a while."

"Whatever we want, huh?" She said with a sly grin, placing her pack on the ground. "Well, there's many things I want to do..." The look in her eyes was one of desire, excitement, and, most of all, lust. She backed me up against the cliff face, pressing up against me, running her hands across my chest. I could feel my own lips curl into a smile as I drew her closer, locking lips with her. With each passing second, the passion of the kiss grew, both of our minds seeming to grow blank as it overtook our reason. It was her who had to push away before we lost ourselves in each other.

"Shade..." She said between heavy breaths, "I think we're going to need a more comfortable place if we're gonna continue."

"I couldn't agree more." I said, thinking. After a moments consideration, a location come to mind. "Well, I do have an idea, and it's not too far from here. It's a soul sand beach next to a molten Adamantium lake. It's surrounded by Darkwood and Bloodwood trees, and it's where I found the blossom for you necklace. What do you say?" Terra seemed to consider the idea, then smiled out of anticipation.

"What're we waiting for!?" She said excitedly. "Lead on!" With a smile, we hoisted our packs onto our backs and began to walk towards the oasis in hell. "Hey, Shade?"

"Hmm?"

"You know," she started, blushing slightly, "I've been curious. Every since we've started dating, one thought has pervaded my mind."

"And what is said question?" I asked.

"Why me?" She said, blushing brighter. "I've always asked myself why you chose me, and why so quickly. After all the time we've spent together, getting to know each other and falling for each other's flaws...I don't understand how I'm so lucky..."

"You just are." I said with a chuckle. "It's not very often you fall in love with someone the moment you see them, but that's what happened between us. Best not to question it."

"True," she said, lacing her fingers between mine, "but I can't help but marvel at my luck."

"Well," he heard a voice say from above us, "it seems your luck just ran out!" Our heads snapped up as we saw someone jump down from the cliff above. They landed with a crash and when the dust settled, I could feel Terra tense. The person was a woman and could've easily been Skelly's twin. She looked the exact same, save for the fact that she had charcoal grey hair and clothes and her teeth were razor sharp. "Well, well, if it isn't my favorite Magma Cube! And what's this!? She has a tasty looking human with her!"

"Back off, Hilda!" Terra said, stepping in front of me. "You lay a hand on him, and I'll cut it off!" The woman stared at her, then laughed.

"Wow!" She said, chuckling. "You've gotten braver, Terra! Normally, all it takes is one feral Wither Skeleton to cause you to run, but here you are, standing up to the princess of them! The nerve!" She rushed Terra, grabbing her shirt collar and throwing her to the ground. "Know your place, you molten whore! I'm the only princess to not face death! Do you honestly think you stand a cha-" I interrupted her by grabbing her hair and flipping her over my shoulder. She laid on the ground in a stunned silence as I spoke.

"You will not touch her..." I seethed. "If you so much as think of harming her again, I'll tear you into so many pieces that it'll take months for you to respawn!" I drew my blade and held it before me, waiting for the bitch in front of me to move.

"You dare touch me!?" She screamed after an eternity of silence. "I'll see you wither for this!" In a flash, the woman was on me, knocking my blade out of my hand. She grabbed hold of me and bit deep into my shoulder. I could hear Terra gasp as we tore away from each other, but I grabbed my blade nonetheless. "Tenacious one, aren't you? Most would've succumbed straight away."

"I won't fall to the likes of you!" I said, barely noticing a wisp of white floating around me. I would've ignored the wisp had another one not float up in front of me. Confused, I looked for the source of the white mist, only to drop my sword in surprise. My body was encased in the white mist, which was swirling faster by the second. It took me a minute to remember where I had seen this effect before, and once I remembered, I realized Terra was in danger. I could feel energy begin to build up in my chest, and I did the only thing I could do; I ran.

-Terra's POV-

I watched as Shade sprinted away, confused and worried as to why he was doing so.

"Looks like he wants to die alone!" Hilda laughed. "What a coward!" I could feel my rage grow as she laughed, the ground beneath me beginning to bubble. "Tch, the least he could've done was go down fighting, but no, he ran off like a bitch!" That statement was the last straw. The ground around me erupted, all the netherrack and ores liquifying in a flash, leaving me standing on a single block in the middle of a lake of molten stone and metal.

"Watch your tongue..." I seethed, molding some of the molten material into a blade. "Speak foul of him again, and I'll follow up on his threat." Her gaze was as cold as ice when she looked over at me.

"Do you remember who was the cause of your first death?" She threatened. "I'll gladly kill you again, if that's what you want." I raised my blade, causing the remainder of the molten material to raise up into a wall behind me.

"You won't succeed this time, you withered cunt." I said, tensing to lunge at her. I was about to attack when a massive explosion knocked me on my ass. Shocked, I looked around for the source of the explosion, only to see an imposing pillar of black energy in the direction Shade had run. Fearing for my lover's life, I ran towards the pillar, thoughts as what it could be, completely forgetting about the Wither Skeleton behind me. I arrived at the base of the pillar rather quickly, awestricken at the sight before me. The pillar wasn't shooting up into the sky, rather, it was spiraling down into the ground, being absorbed into...something. Just as Hilda arrived, a hollow and terrifying voice echoed out from the center of the pillar.

"Through evil's curse," it echoed, seeming to reverberating throughout the Nether, "I taint the ground on which I stand. The Wither has returned." As the words trailed off, the pillar dissipated. From the center of the fading pillar stepped out, much to Hilda's surprise and my happiness, Shade. However, he looked much different. His silver hair now had streaks of black and charcoal grey running through it, his eyes glowed with ominous red light, his clothing had changed to a solid black sleeveless coat with a high collar, solid black pants and a dark grey tank top. His skin, if at all possible, was whiter than a Ghast's tear, and a black and blue spine was tattooed down each arm. The one thing that stood out the most was the imposing grey aura that surrounded him and seemed to lift him off the ground.

"Whoa..." Was all I said, desperately trying to keep myself from drooling over my increasingly attractive boyfriend. He gazed over at me, recognition flashing across his features, but the gazed immediately snapped over to Hilda when she started clapping.

"Impressive trick!" She said sarcastically, completely oblivious to the glare of intense hatred being shot at her. "So are you going to fight for real now? Oh, wait you can't! You don't have a sw-" Her words were cut short by the aura around Shade lashing out and slamming into her stomach, sending her flying into the side of a cliff. She didn't even have time to stand back up before Shade was on her, grabbing hold of her ankles and shooting into the air. Once he reached about 100 feet, he used the combined force of his aura and his own strength to fling her to the ground. She careened towards the ground, hitting with enough force to create a massive crater. When she was on her feet again, I could see the rage in her eyes. She generated her own aura and lashed out at Shade, grabbing his foot and pulling him towards the ground. She smiled with triumph as he sped towards the ground, but the smile quickly faded as his body became transparent and seemed to phase through the ground. Both of us looked around for him, but Hilda found him first, or, rather, he found her. With enough force to send her rocketing into the air, after ramping up the side of the crater, Shade's aura hit her from behind. He caught her on the way back down, but not in a nice way. She was speared on his aura, the grey mass protruding from her stomach. Much to my surprise and horror, Shade drifted over to me, looking from me to the bleeding Hilda floating next to him.

"Permission to annihilate, m'lady." He said, voice full of a madman's mirth. I could feel my sadistic tendencies begin to surface as I stared the now struggling Wither Skeleton impaled before me, a cruel smile curling my lips.

"Permission granted, my unholy knight." I said, causing us both to chuckle. "However, make it gory. I want her first encounter with death to be a painful and horrific one."

"With pleasure!" He exclaimed excitedly, eyes lighting up. He turned to his prey, his aura becoming razor sharp spikes. "Now then, my young Wither Skeleton, I hope you learn something from this." Confusion filled Hilda's eyes before she spoke.

"What? What would I learn?" A sinister smile curled Shade's lips.

"The fear of death..." He said softly, his aura slamming into Hilda's body. The spikes impaled her, causing her to cry out in pain. Shade let the spikes sit there, watching with a sick and satisfied smile as her body convulsed with pain. "Now...DIE!" With that word, the aura moved at blinding speed, shredding the woman into a red mist, the only thing of her left behind being her sword. I stared in awe as the red mist seemed to be absorbed into Shade's aura, causing it to darken. He stood there for a bit, only to collapse. I scooped him into my arms, sighing with relief to find him asleep.

"I guess becoming a Wither takes a lot out of you." I said with a chuckle. I was in the process of trying to figure out how to get him home when I heard a familiar voice.

"Terra!" I heard my best friend, Evelyn, call out. Looking up I saw the familiar white of her dress not too far away, causing an idea to come to mind.

"Come on," I said, hoisting Shade onto my back, "let's get you home." With that, I walked over to my friends, ready to head home.

-Chapter 11 End-

**_And there you have it. I hope at least a few of you got unnerved by Shade's demeanor in this. I thought it was a good touch. Leave a review to tell me what you think and I'll see you all in chapter 12!_**


	13. Chapter 12

**Okay, first off, I want to apologize for the hiatus. Things have been really stressful and I just haven't had the motivation I needed. But as of now, I'm back and feelin' frisky! I hope you all enjoy my newest chapter and thanks for all the support!**

-Erica's POV-

"I can't take it anymore!" Terra sobbed, throwing her arms around me. I held my friend close as she sobbed, frustrated at her plight. It's been six months since Shade became the First Wither, and, ever since then, he's locked himself in his room. The moment he woke up, his newfound abilities spiraled out of control, causing the ground around him to decay and accidentally hurting Terra in the process. A small sliver of his aura was wrapped around Terra's arm when he woke up, causing a spiral pattern to be necrotized into her flesh. Even now, a nasty black spiral can be seen on her otherwise flawless skin, but she refuses to have it fully healed. The crazy girl cherishes it, seemingly immune to the curse it's supposed to cause, so we've all left it alone. However, the fact that Shade refuses to come out of his room has gotten to us all. I understood that he doesn't want to put us in harm's way, but he was severely harming our hearts, Terra's most of all. She'd been strong all this time, but I'd imagine that it's finally getting to her. Thankfully, Terra wasn't the only one fed up with Shade's self-imprisonment, as Cage had finally called a meeting on the issue. Once everyone had gathered at the table, cage began speaking.

"Okay," he started with a heavy sigh, "just like the rest of you, Terra most of all, I'm fed up with Shade's attitude. Every since he became a First, he has made no attempt on trying to control his abilities, fearing that it would endanger us all. So we need to come up with a way to contain his abilities to the point that he can control them without fear. Any ideas?" The room was eerily silent as we racked our brains for an idea. We sat like that for some time until the silence was shattered by a snap from Gabe.

"A Nether Star!" He said suddenly, causing us to jump. "What if we use a Nether Star?"

"That is a good idea," Cage agreed, nodding, "but his power dwarfs that of a normal Wither. A plain Star would never be enough."

"What if we infuse it with Soulinium?" Vincent suggested. A number of confused looks were shot his way causing him elaborate. "It's a new alloy Mina and I discovered recently. The metal consists of soul sand, Dark Iron, Uranium, and Adamantium. It looks like a empty place in the fabric of space and time and exudes an unholy power. I figure it'd be the best option for assisting the Nether Star in containing Shade's power."

"That could work," Cage said, obviously deep in thought, "but we still need a metal strong enough to withstand the decaying effects of Shade's aura. We can't use Soulinium as a chain, as it might suppress his abilities too much." Once again, silence filled the room as we thought. Questioning glances were traded, and, eventually, I noticed Skelly was shifting rather uncomfortably.

"What's up, Skelly?" I asked.

"I...might have an idea," she started, her gaze shifting to the floor, "but I'm not a big fan of it. My father, or, rather, my kingdom has created one such metal." We all stared at her in disbelief, causing her cheeks to flush.

"Do you think they'll spare us some?" Vincent asked excitedly. "One ingot would be enough. With that much, Mina and I should be able to determine its make with relative ease."

"I doubt it!" Skelly scoffed. "Centuries of research went into the creation of that alloy. There's no way the two of you alone could decipher its components." Both of the Pigmans' gazes turned dark as they glared at the now unnerved Skeleton.

"You would do well not to talk ill of our skill." Mina warned, unsheathing her blade a bit. Catching the glint of the metal in the corner of his eye, Cage used his magic to lift the blade from her possession and place in a chest on the other side of the room.

"There'll be no fighting at this table!" Cage said forcefully, causing most of us to stare at him, awed by the commanding nature of his normally calm voice. "Skelly, do you think your dad will spare some the alloy?"

"It is possible," she said, looking down at the floor, "but my father and I aren't exactly on good terms. It'd be awkward for all of us if I went."

Cage scratched his chin as he thought. "Hmm...Erica! Why don't you go?" His sudden outburst caused me to jump.

"M-Me!? What makes you think I'm qualified to waltz into a mob kingdom!?"

"It's just a feeling, really." He explained. "So far, my feelings haven't been wrong. Oh, and Jack should go with you."

It was Jack's turn to be surprised, "N-Now hold on a second! I can understand Erica, with her being an excellent marksman, and all, but me? I teleport and stick to the shadows, using sabotage, subterfuge, and assassination as my weapons. I'm as far from a Skeleton as you can get!"

"Be that as it may," Cage started, his voice gaining that commanding edge, "I've yet to be wrong. If we want the best chances of getting the alloy, you two need to go." Jack and I looked at each other, then let loose an exasperated sigh.

"Alright," I said, standing up, "we're gonna need a map so we know the direction to head in." Skelly hopped up, a bright smile on her face, and immediately started drawing a map, her attention to detail, incredible. After a few minutes, she handed me the intricately drawn map for inspection. "Well, I'll be damned! It's only 100 chunks away! How have I never found it before..." Whilst I racked my brain as how I missed it, I noticed Gabe and Vincent laying a few things out on the table. One of them was a solid black knife with purple striations lacing through it, another was a ring made of, what I thought was, Soulinium with a highly polished Certus Quartz crystal set in it. The final thing placed on the table was a set of .50 caliber rounds, the tips made of some grayish metal. Jack and I looked up at the two of them, silent questions filling our eyes.

"The blade and the bullets are for Erica, whilst the ring is for Jack." Vincent explained. "The blade is Soul Glass infused with Tanzanite to strengthen it. It's razor sharp and meant for close quarters combat and doubles as a throwing knife. The bullets are explosive tipped," my lips curled into a sinister smile, "each one has power equal to that of 50 blocks of TNT." I stared at the rounds before me, each one a source of destruction. I strapped the knife to the outside of my thigh and placed the explosive rounds in one of the ammo pouches around my waist. Seeing I was finished, Vincent turned his attention to Jack and the ring.

"This ring is very similar to your Void Ring, but much more powerful." Vincent explained, gingerly lifting the ring.

"I call it the Quantum Band." Cage said with a grin. "Not only does it allow you to teleport, but it has unlimited range, making it very similar to an Ender Pearl." Jack eyed the ring skeptically and slid it on the hand without the Void Ring.

"What about recharging?" He asked.

"It doesn't need it." Cage explained, obviously proud of his creation. "The Soulinium powers the band. Though, it needs a stabilizing agent."

"What is it?" Jack's question was answered before the words even left his mouth. A smug grin could be seen on Cage and Andr's faces as a collective gasp filled the room. We all watched in awe as the Void Ring began to liquify, then travel up Jack's arm. He was too stunned to move as the now molten ring seemed to seep into the Quantum Band, causing it to glow a bit. Once the glow fade, Jack's eyes went wide with anticipation, remaining still. Within seconds he seemed to flash out of existence, only to return with a cheesy grin stretched across his face.

"Okay," he said, sounding like a little kid with a new toy, "this has got to be the most badass thing you've ever made me! I just teleported to Tezi and back! Thanks man!"

"Don't mention it." Cage said, waving his hand dismissively. "Now, you guys need to prepare. Go and pack some supplies and get going!" With that, the meeting was dismissed and everyone left Jack and I to prepare. The time passed in a blur, both of us taking time to make sure we were fully prepared for the journey ahead. I spent most of the time cleaning and sighting in my rifle, making sure it was in tip top condition. It was dark by the time we were ready to go, but Cage wasn't about to let that stop us.

"It'd be best if teleport to Tezi and start there. You'd be a quarter of the way there." Cage suggested. Jack and I nodded in agreement, Jack grabbing hold of my shoulder. In a flash, we were in front Tezi's front gate. We waved to the guardsman and went on our way. The two of us sprinted in the direction of the city, mowing down any feral mobs in our path. The travel was shorter than we expected, reaching a high stone wall with six hours. The surrounding area was beautiful, a massive grove of trees, some of which weren't native to the Overworld, surrounded the wall, creating a wall of shade for the feral mobs damaged by the sun. Carefully picking our way across the treetops, and skirting around a Giant, we made our way towards the gate, alarming the guardsman.

"Who goes there!?" He called down, readying his bow.

"Easy, my friend!" Jack called back up, sheathing his blade and put his hands above his head. "We're just a pair of travelers, and we'd like to come inside the city, if that's alright." The guardsman was silent for, what seemed like, an eternity. After some time, we heard the gate unlock, the massive doors swinging open. I slung my rifle over my shoulder and followed Jack inside, keeping my free hand on my knife. Once we were inside, the gate closed behind us and the guardsman rounded a nearby corner, bow drawn tight.

"You're well-armed for just a pair of travelers." He said, aiming his bow at me. "Drop your weapons and tell me who you are." Both of us stared at the Skeleton before us and failed to stifle a laugh. "What's so funny?"

"Well," I managed to get out between fits, "it's just that you aren't very intimidating. Besides, all you have to do is ask nicely and we'll explain our situation." The Skeleton was obviously pissed at our demeanor and snapped his fingers. From the shadows stepped another 20 humanized Skeletons, each with either a pistol, bow, or rifle.

"Now will you drop your weapons, or will we have to blow you away?" He said with a smug grin. I rolled my eyes with a sigh and took my rifle of my shoulder, loading an explosive round into the chamber.

"You might want to open your gate." I suggested, spinning around and taking aim at the massive door. Sensing the danger, Jack warped behind the group of the Skeletons, and the guardsman's eyes went wide.

"Get those fucking gates open, NOW!" He demanded, shouting the command. The doors had barely even opened before I had the Giant in my sights. I pulled the trigger, the sheer speed of the round blasted the gates the rest of the way open. In mere seconds, the round collided with Giant's face, detonating on impact. The force of the blast obliterated the top half of the beast and leveled the surrounding forest. Slinging my rifle over my shoulder, I turned around and had to stifle a giggle at the now slack jawed Skeletons. After a few moments of silence, a loud cheer sounded from the Skeletons, and I was swarmed with a number of questions. I took my time in answering the "What kind of rifle is that?", "What kind of ammunition did you use?", and "How long did you train?" questions, looking over to Jack for help. With a chuckle, he warped over to me and pushed the skeletons back.

"That's enough questions for now." Jack said. "For now, we want to talk to the King." The room went eerily quiet as those words left his mouth. The group of Skeletons stared at the two of us, suspicion filling their eyes. The guardsman was the first to speak up.

"Why would two humans want to speak with our King?" He asked, keeping a white-knuckled grip on his knife.

"We need his help." I explained. "We heard that this kingdom had created a metal that's highly resistant to the Wither curse. We only need a single ingot." The group exchanged uneasy glances before one of them spoke.

"We'd take you to him," he started, looking very nervous, "but he's been in a rather foul mood as of late. He's not accepting any audiences unless they have information on the whereabouts of his daughter. The two of them had a falling out several months ago, and we haven't seen or heard from her since." Jack and I exchange a knowing glance and turned back to the group.

"Actually, we know where she is." Jack said. The reaction of the group, aside from the guardsman, who looked distraught about something, was priceless.

"What!? Where is she!?" One of the Skeletons asked, grabbing hold of Jack's shoulders.

"She's actually been holding up at our place for about six and a half months now." Jack explained. "A friend of ours saved her ass from a horde of Zombies that held a Giant. Ever since then she's been helping out around our place, even though we've given her ample opportunity to leave." The group was silent, most of them with a shocked look on their faces, but the worried look in the guardsman's eye set a little red flag off in the back of my mind. Apparently, I wasn't the only one who saw it. I looked over at Jack, and shivered when I saw him casting his prying glare towards the guardsman. He didn't seem to notice and walked up to us.

"Before we take you to the King, I'd like to know your names." He said, trying to stare us down.

"My name's Erica LaChance." I said, returning his stone cold gaze.

"Jack Talzin is mine." Jack said, the force in his words startling the guardsman. Sufficiently unnerved, he backed off and motioned for us to follow him. We followed our guides, and once we were out of the gatehouse, we were awed by the city sprawled out before us. The buildings were built out of many different kinds of wood, stone and metal, ranging anywhere from the burnt orange color of Acacia paired with finely sculpted stone bricks to the deep brownish-red of Mahogany paired with the distinctive blue shine of Cobalt-reinforced nails holding it together. Each one was masterfully built, but most impressive of all was the fact that each one was in a massive tree, bridges linking shop, house and forge alike. We could see Skeletons running from tree to tree, running errands, trimming branches that hung over the bridges, or just enjoying the sun. One of our escorts saw our awed expressions and chuckled.

"Truly amazing, isn't it?" He asked, fanning his arms out in a grand gesture. "This is the ingenuity of the Skeleton race at its finest. Each home is held to the tree with a special kind of nail that weaves it way through the inner fibers, creating an unbreakable grip. It's like the house is a growth on the tree." We continued down the main path, marveling at the buildings and receiving equally stunned looks from the population, which I was guess was wondering how a pair of humans ended up inside their city. Beyond the massive forest laid the most imposing and breathtaking structure I had ever seen. It was a mansion of immense size, the walls made out of Darkwood planks, bordered with blocks of solid Tanzaite. Large columns of Nether Quartz bordered the massive doorway, creating a regal pathway. Our escorts ushered us inside, the antechamber well lit. Paintings of incerdibly posh individuals filled every corner of the room, the newest one of a man in his early 30's, his jet black hair peppered with white and grey, and holding a smoking pistol. As we looked around the room, the gaurdsman walked up to us, looking very uneasy.

"Wait here." He said, eyeing us nervously. "I'll let the King know you're here, and signal when you may enter." With that, the gaurdsman wandered up the stairs to a door made of soild Platinum, and pushed it open, closing it behind him as he walked inside. The room was silent for the longest time, when a voice suddenly roared out from behind the door.

"WHAT!?" the voice roared, causing both Jack and I to jump. "SEND THEM IN, NOW!" I could here the gaurdsman scrambling to get the door open as the voice continued to rant and rave. He quickly pushed in and slammed the doors shut behind us, blocking our way out should things take a turn for the worst. The two of us looked around the room, taking in the vast enormity of the throne room. The walls were made of shining Certus Quartz, the refracted light emblazoning the room with a rainbow of color. At the back wall sat the very same man in the newest portrait of the antechamber. The man stood tall, easily 6'8", and was wearinng a fancy suit. He glared down at us as we approached his throne, seeming to be searching for any point of weakness.

"So…" he started, his voice resonating throughout the room, "from what my head guard tells me, you know the wereabouts of my daughter. Is this true?" Jack was the first to speak up.

"Yes," he started with a slight bow, "we know where she currently resides, Your Majesty. She is currently lodging with our friends and I, safe from harm." The King stared at the two of us, breathing a sigh of relief after what seem like an eternity.

"Thank Notch for that." He said, givng us a warm smile. "Now then, lets get introductions out of the way. Erica LaChance, Jack Talzin, I, King Fenrick al Saxon, welcome you to the city of Calzix." Jack and I cast each other relieved glances then brought our attention back to the royalty before us. The King looked at us, a joyous light in his storm grey eyes. "Now, for the news that my daughter is safe, I should reward you. What is it that you wish?"

"We want only one thing, Your Majesty;" I said, hesitant, "we want a single ingot of your Wither-resistant metal." As the words left my mouth, the King's demeanor darkened. With a few great strides, the King was in front of us, staring us down.

"How do you know of the metal!?" He demanded, grabbing us by the shirt collars.

"Your daughter told us of it!" Jack hastily explained. "Please! We desperately need this metal." The King look at us, searching for any indication that we were lying. After a bit, he released us, but kept a wary eye on us as he spoke.

"What could two humans possibly need from an ignot of Grandenium?"

"It's for our friend, you see." I explained. "He's...well...he has become a Wither and, for the past six months, his abilities have been spiraling out of control. We need the Grandenium to create a chain that can withstand the unholy force of a Soulinium-infused Nether Star." The King was silent for the longest time, a rising tide of thoughts and questions filling his eyes. It seemed like hours had passed before he spoke again.

"Did you say your friend turned into a Wither?" He asked, barely audible. Once I nodded in agreement, the color seemed to drain from his face. "Dear Notch, then Zerix was right! The First have returned…" Once again, he fell into silence. He looked as if he was about to say something when the throne room doors bursted open. A small group of battered and bleeding soldiers wandered in, breathing heavily.

"What is the meaning of this!?" The King demanded, glaring at the battered group. One of them stood up, bowing before speaking.

"Feral mobs, my liege." He explained. "The front gates were sabotaged and now hordes of ferals are flooding in!"

-Jack's POV-

Erica and I exchanged worried glances with each other and sprinted for the door. Neither the King or the soldiers had time to stop us, blowing past them in a blur. Within minutes, we were out in the open. I heard Erica sob lightly as we looked out over the chaos before us. Many of the massive trees were burning, the citizens all being massacred by hordes of Zombies, Giants shoving trees out of the ground...it was horrible. With little hesitation, the two of us rushed into the fray. With inhuman agility, Erica ran up the side of one of the trees, touching down on a bridge. She was out of sight in a flash, but I could hear to booming report of her rifle. With a mixture of warping and running, I dove into the nearest horde of ferals. Grabbing a Creeper, I held it to right when it hit it's breaking point, then warped away, causing it to explode in the middle of the horde. Many of the creatures were blown into chunks, but some survived, running at me. I grabbed the nearest Zombie by the throat, ramming my sword into it's stomach. Tossing the squirming beast back into the fray, I warped around the horde, cutting down several ferals with each shift. Before long, I had decimated the entire horde, cleaning off my blade before sheathing it. I was about to move to another horde when a scream rang out from above. My head snapped up at the sudden sound, immediately spotting it's source. It was a woman and child atop one of the trees, surrounded by a swarm of feral Spiders. I warped up to the woman just in time to kill the Spider that was about to attack her. I flipped out a few bandanas and handed them to the pair behind me.

"Cover your mouths!" I shouted, covering my own as I pulled out a small vial filled with a dark green liquid out of my pocket. I glanced over my shoulder, and, once I saw that the pair had put the bandanas over their mouths, I placed the vial on the ground and left my foot hovering over it. I waited, listening to the sound of the approaching Spiders. The moment the first set of eyes peeked over the top of the tree, I crushed the vial. The liquid exploded out into a massive cloud of caustic gas, surrounding the top of the tree. Shrieking cries emitted from the Spiders, many of them succumbing to the noxious gas. With uncanny speed, I wrapped my arms around the woman and child and warped down to the bottom of the tree, having to jump out of the way to avoid being it hit upside the head by a falling Spider. Looking up, I smiled with satisfaction as the caustic cloud I had created claimed every single one of those creepy bastards. I looked over at the woman and child sitting on the ground, who were coughing ever so slightly.

"Are you two alright?" I asked, checking them over for any wounds.

"We are," the woman said, removing the bandana from her child's face, "thanks to you. But I have to ask, what was in that vial?" I chuckled a bit before answering.

"A highly compressed gas," I explained, "made of Nether Wart, Nightshade, Arsenic, and Hydrochloric Acid. Its highly dangerous to the respriatory system, hence why I had you cover your mouths. Now, you two need to get to safety. Find a place and hunker down. Don't come out until you know it's safe." The woman nodded and ushered her child down the street and out of sight. With a sigh of relief, I turned my attention to the hordes of mobs blanketing the streets. I was about to head into the fray again when I heard the loud report of a signal shot. I spun around to see a bright red orb in the sky above the King's mansion. In an instant, I was at Erica's side, who seemed extremely on edge.

"What are you doing in the antechamber?" I asked, extremely confused. "There are hordes of ferals out on the streets!" Her gaze was as cold and harsh as her voice when she spoke.

"I think the ferals were a diversion." She explained, the disgust obvious in her voice. "While I was out, I spotted a small group of guards doing absolutely nothing. Upon closer inspection, I saw that that guardsman was leading the group. He was earnestly speaking to the others in the group, and I caught a bit of the conversation. They were talking of overthrowing the King, Jack! This whole thing is a coup!" As those words left her mouth, the doors to the antechamber burst open, humanized Skeletons rushing in, each wielding either an assault rifle or pistol. From the middle of the group stepped out the guardsman from the gate, a shit-eating smirk adjourning his face.

"A coup is right, my astute little human." He said, leveling a pistol at us. "Now you would do well to leave. You don't have to die here." We were silent, standing still, frozen in place for what seemed like hours. After a while, Erica brought her rifle around, loading it in the process. She took aim at the group of Skeletons and breathed a heavy sigh.

"Go protect the King, Jack. I'll take care of this lot." I shot her a surprised look.

"No way in hell will I let you do this alone!"

"You have no choice! If one of them were to get past us, it's game over! Now get to the throne room!"

Surprised by the harshness in her voice, I turned towards the throne room door, preparing to warp inside. Looking back over my shoulder, I could see a grim expression overtaking her features, and I felt the need to say something. "Hey Erica," I called, grabbing her attention, "come back to me, you hear?"

A small, sad smile curled her lips. "So long as you promise to do the same." I gave her a nod, then, with one final look back, I warped into the throne room.

-Erica's POV-

I watched as Jack warped into the next room, then turned to face my quarry. "Now then, let's get started, shall we?" I said, taking aim at the leader.

Surprisingly, the guardsman only laughed. "That was so touching," he said between fits, "but too bad your attempts are in vain. Boys, kill this little wench. I'll move on ahead and kill the boy."

With that, he moved on ahead, running past me with remarkable speed. As I tried to get a clear shot on him, I could hear the sounds of safeties clicking. I barely managed to get behind a nearby pillar before bullets started tearing past me, blowing pieces off the pillar. The seconds seemed to drag on as the hail of hot lead continued to tear at my cover, only to be replaced with the sound of empty clips clattering to the floor. Taking my chance, I whirled out of cover, firing my round. The round collided with the floor, detonating on impact, flinging all but two Skeletons into the air. The two who were hit were turned into grease stains along the floor. I crouched back into cover and started to load another round, only to feel a bullet to collide with my shoulder. Letting out a cry of pain, I pulled out my knife and tossed in the direction of the bullet, hearing the sound of metal cutting flesh and the gurgling of someone choking on blood. My hands slick with my own blood, I fumbled with an Adamantium-tipped round, trying to get it loaded into the chamber. I almost had it, when I heard someone running for my cover. There was a flash of metal as a knife whipped around, aiming for my throat. I barely managed to to dodge the blade, the metal cutting my cheek and ear instead. In response, I whirled around slamming the round in my hand point first into my assailant's temple. He dropped like a sack of bricks, but upon seeing me, the remaining Skeletons opened fire, several bullets tearing into my flesh. I dropped down, the pain was excruciating, but I had to stop these fuckers here, else Jack would… Jack, why was I thinking of him at this moment? We were protecting the King, yet it felt as though I'd been keeping Jack safe this entire time. I could feel tears streaming down my face, but whether it was from the pain or the prospect of what I was about to do, I couldn't tell. Using the last of my fading strength, I pulled three explosive rounds out their respective pouch, holding them with their tips facing the ground.

"Come get some, you shit-stains!" I croaked out, obviously letting them know I was horribly injured.

I could hear a small, smug chuckle directly behind me, then the sound of approaching footsteps from all around me. I held the rounds close, so my assailants couldn't see them. Soon enough, I was surrounded by five Skeletons, each with an assault rifle trained on me. The one who must of been the second-in-command stepped forward, a small smile curling his lips.

"You held out for a long time, human." He said, the slightest modicum of respect lining his tone. "Any last words, before we extinguish your already fading life?"

My vision began to fade as I choked out the words. "Yeah, only two:" I croaked, revealing the rounds, "game over!"

The Skeleton's eyes went wide at the sight of the explosives, yelling at his men to stop me. I was vaugly aware of the bullets ripping through my body as I raised the rounds up above my head. As I brought them back down, I could hear myself letting out a defiant scream.

Just they struck the hard stone floor, a single thought rippled through my mind.

'I'm so sorry, Jack.' I found myself thinking, a single tear streaking down my face. 'It looks like I'm going to have to break my promise.' I could feel the rounds rupture in my hand, the force of the resulting explosion sending me flying. I felt no pain as I slammed into a wall somewhere in the antechamber. I was aware of my heartbeat slowing and weakening, knowing it would soon stop and my life would be over.

"Whelp," I said to myself, surprised that my voice still worked. "looks like this is it for me." I sat there, listening to my fading heartbeat and the shouts of the remaining Skeletons...something wasn't right. As my heartbeat continued to fade, I was becoming more aware of my surroundings. My vision began to return after a while, and I could feel my nerves re-activating. I tried to move, but my legs still didn't work. I heard my heart pulse two more time before finally stopping, and that's when every nerve in my body flared at once. The sensation was unlike any pain I've felt before like the very fiber of my being was changing. I stood and pulled my attention to the remaining Skeletons, an ancient anger filling me at the sight of them. Out of nowhere a voice escaped my lips.

"Through self-sacrifice shall my arrows always strike true." I heard myself say, the voice not my own. My arm lifted up of it's own volition, and a gasp formed that refused to escape my lips. The hand that had held the rounds was nothing but skeletal remains of it's former self. It formed into the universal symbol for a gun; index finger outstretched and thumb straight up and down.

Once again, the voice spoke, "The Skeleton now awaits direction," it said, a smile of my own overtaking my features, "my sights trained on my quarry." With that, my nerves calmed down, and my arm dropped. I stared at my hand, inspecting the intricacy of the bones, each one carved with a swirling pattern.

"Have they always been like that?" I asked no one in particular. I would've continued to inspect my hand, if the sound of a pistol being discharged hadn't snapped me out of my trance. The world seemed to slow down as the bullet rushed towards me. Out of instinct, I held my hands up in front of me and closed my eyes, expecting to feel the bullet tear through my flesh. However, the sensation never came. I slowly opened my eyes, only to see the bullet right in front of my face. The bullet was still spinning, as if it still had its speed. I put my hands down, and gasped when the bullet followed my skeletal hand. I moved my hand around, the bullet following in turn. I started to chuckle as I found that I could change it's trajectory and cause it to zoom around the room. Suddenly, an idea came to mind. I turned my attention towards the location of the Skeleton who had fired the round, suddenly aware of his position. An evil smile curled my lips.

"Hey, fuckface!" I yelled in his direction, taking the bullet into my hand and cranking it back. "Surprise!" With that, I threw the bullet, it taking off as if I had shot it. The bullet arched up into the air, then came speeding down, the sound of blood and brain splattering signifying that I had hit my mark. I smiled, starting to understand the power I'd been given. I noticed the glint of my knife from across the room, and, feeling ballsy, ran for it. As I had expected, the last two Skeletons moved out of cover and opened fire, the rounds stopping in the air just before hitting me. I stopped next to the body that had my knife embedded in it's neck, smirking at the survivors. Raising my hand, I turned the two clips worth of ammo towards one of the skeletons and launched them back, turning him into Swiss cheese. I turned my attention the the remaining Skeleton. In one swift motion, I pulled the knife out of the body and tossed it at the survivor. He ducked down, the knife grazing the top of his head. He smirked at me, leveling his rifle, only for a jolt to pass through his body as my knife sliced through his neck. I caught the knife and sheathed it, turning away from the Skeleton as his head rolled off his shoulders. Turning, I walked towards the door to the throne room, gathering my rifle along the way.

"Please," I said to myself, pushing the door open, "you better not have died on me, Jack."

-Jack's POV-

I watch with anger seething through my veins as the guardsman walked through the throne room doors.

"What did you do to Erica!?" I screamed at him, leveling the point of my blade at him.

The Skeleton looked momentarily confused, only for it to be replaced by a smug grin. "Oh, you mean that little harlot? My boys are in the process of tearing her apart." As if to emphasis on this point, an explosion rocked the the throne room. Both of us looked over at the door, curious as to what hell was raging beyond it. We turned our attention back to each other, a smirk adjourning his face. "Sounds as if she's having a hard time. Better go help her."

My blade remained leveled at him. "She can handle herself. I'm not going anywhere, and your not touching the King."

His eyes narrowed as he spoke, "Then death will claim you, just as it will claim that wench and the King." As those words left his mouth, he rushed at me with uncanny speed. He came at me like a blur, slamming a fist into my chest, causing me to slide back. He gave me no quarter as he continued his assualt, raining blow after blow. After he landed his tenth punch, I warped behind him, and grabbed the back of his neck. I swept his legs out from underneath him, using his momentum to slam his head into the floor, feeling it crack. I jumped back, waiting for him to move. He was up in a flash, pistol drawn and trained on me. I would've been dead at that moment had it not been for another massive blast rocking the throne room. I used this opportunity to rush the Skeleton, driving my blade into his gut. He let out a gasp of pain as I pulled the sword away and slashed him across the chest, sending him reeling. I warped up to him and grabbed him by the throat, holding him with my blade poised to pierce his heart. Just I was about to shove the blade deep into his chest, pain exploded throughout my body as two loud shots rung out. I dropped the man and staggered back, blood pouring from the gunshot wounds in my stomach. The Skeleton slammed into me, dropping me to my knees, and held me there by my throat. A wild, demented look filled his eyes as he picked up my blade studied it.

"Not really my style," he said, giving me a sidelong glance, "you can have it back!" He plunged the blade into my chest, piercing my heart. I coughed up a massive pool of blood as I lurched forward, barely catching myself. My vision was beginning to waver when I heard the throne room doors open. I lifted my head, and saw the horrified look on Erica's face. The expression quickly turned to one of raw anger as she drew her knife and threw it behind me. I could hear it pierce flesh and a curse ring out, but soon the pain in my chest wouldn't allow me to focus on anything else. I looked back down to the floor, a pool of my own blood forming beneath me. My limbs were weakening and I could barely make out the movements of the guardsman and Erica, and couldn't even percieve who was winning.

'I'm going to die...' was the only thought coursing through my mind, with each repeat sucking my life from me. I was just about to give in when I heard Erica call mout to me.

"You better not fucking die on me!" I could hear her screaming, "You fucking promised, so you'd better not die!" Promise…? What promise had I made to her? Then' t all came back to me in a rush.

"You'd better come back to me." I had made her promise, and in turn, she had asked the same of me. The world around me came back in a blur. I refused to go down so easily. That's when I noticed something was amiss with the pool of blood beneath me. There was something black pooling into the blood, and, only seconds later, I realized it was my sword. The blade was liquifying, seeping into the blood beneath me, giving it the illusion of depth. Almost as if it had a mind of it's own, once my blade had fully melted, my hand reached into the pool, the Quantum Band melting into the liquid. I felt something hard and rounded just beneath the surface, and, extremely curious, I wrapped my hand around it, pulling it out slowly. As I removed the object, the pool shrunk, almost as if the object was absorbing all. With one final tug, I freed the item, the pool of blood, gone. In its place was, what looked like, a solid black Ender Pearl. The object felt familiar, almost as if it was made for me. Suddenly, the Pearl ripped itself from my hand and slammed into my chest, filling it with searing pain. I could feel myself stand up, but the moment I was upright, the world round me faded into darkness. I had no idea where I was...until I looked up. Up above me was the guardsman standing above Erica, poised to kill. Enraged by the sight, I reached out, grabbed hold of his ankle and crushed it with my bare hands. The scream he let out felt satisfying, and when I looked over at Erica I could see what she was seeing by the reflection in her eyes. She didn't see me crushing the man's ankle...she saw a shrouded arm reaching out of the man's shadow and two menacing, glowing green eyes staring up at the man. I had melted into the shadows and attacked the man, crushing his leg. I felt myself rise out of his shadow and stand over him, picking him up by his jawline as if my body were being controlled. I stared into his eyes for the longest time, before a voice that wasn't mine escaped my mouth.

"By my blade," it started, the voice seemingly emenating from every shadow around the room as well as my mouth, "the ability to stalk the shadows as returned to me. The Enderman once again prowls the darkness." As I finished speaking, I could almost feel the aim of a rifle on my back. I threw my prey up into the air just in time for an anti-tank round to tear him to shreds. I spun around to see the King holding a massive anti-tank rifle in his hand, the barrel smoking.

He had a look of reverence on his face as he stared at us. "Dear Notch, I don't believe it. There are two First in my throne room...I must humbly thank you for in stopping the coup. Is there anything you wish to have? There is very little that I have that has the value of all the lives of my people."

I stepped forward, bowing my head. "Our desire remains the same Your Majesty. We only wish a single ingot of Grandenium."

A warm smile spread across his face as he pretended to consider it. "I think I can manage that. And, please, call me Fenrick."

"So this is it, huh?" Vincent said, inspecting the white metal. His eyes shone with anticipation, eager to melt down so he could find out his make.

A small smile curled my lips at his attiude, "It is indeed. It's called Grandenium. From what I can tell, it's extremely durable." Vincent's eyes lit up even brighter, and he shooed from his forge so he and Mina could work in peace. Outside, I noticed that Erica's trigger hand was wrapped up, how I hadn't noticed till now, I'm not sure. I was about to mention it, when Cupa came running up to us.

"You two need to get down to Terra's room, ASAP!" She said quickly, out of breath. "The Wither curse from the mark on her arm is finally getting to her!" Our eyes went wide at the news and I grabbed hold of Erica's shoulder warping up into her room in a split second. Sure enough, she was passed out on her bed, her skin pale and a sickly light grey travelling her veins. I could tell she wasn't going to last long, as bad as it was, and I was about to start crying when Shade burst into the room, the Nether Star hanging from his neck from a semingly ethereal chain. He inspected the mark, relief flashing across his features.

"Why didn't you get it remove, you idiot?" He asked warmly. Took weak to answer, Terra only smiled a him. Shade closed his eyes, his aura snaking across her forearm. A light sizzle could be heard from her skin, a light moan escaping her lips. We all watched in awe as the mark spread in a highly intricate spiraling pattern across her forearm, stopping at the end of her wrist and her elbow. I could her a light chuckle from Cage, which meant he recognized the marking.

"That's a pretty bold move, my friend." He said, placing his hand on Shade's shoulder. Shade only smiled, looking on as Terra quickly recovered.

"Why?" She asked, looking at the pattern. "What is it?"

"It's known as The Wither's Claim." Cage explained.

"It's a symbol of love, loyalty, trust…" Shade's cheeks reddened, "and, when it's complete...marriage." The last words were barely audible, but Terra had heard them loud and clear. She went wide-eyed as she looked back and forth from the mark and Shade, and, with a sob of happiness, she lunged forward, tackling Shade in an unbreakable embrace and plant a passionate kiss on his lips. I didn't need to be psychic to see where this was going to lead, so, with my face being bright red, I warped Erica out into the main hallway, just in front of Erica's room. She had an uneasy look about her, as she looked at me.

"I-I'm going to head to bed." She said, starting to walk into her room.

"Wait!" I said, grabbing hold of her hand. The hand felt off, but I ignored it. "I want to thank you. For back in the throne room, I mean. If it hadn't been for you, I'd be dead. She stared at me for a bit, then, out of nowhere, she strode up to me, and locked lips with me. I was stunned for a while, but, after a while I pulled her close to me. She soon broke away from the kiss, and, with a small, sad smile, she walked into her room, leaving me in the hallway, my mind reeling.

-End Chapter 12-

**There you have it! Looks like Jack and Erica became rather close, and for obvious reasons. I hoped you liked how everything went down and feel free to tell me. Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next one!**


	14. Chapter 13

**_Whoa, whoa everyone! Calm down, there's no need for needless violence! Please, put away the torches, pitchforks, sniper rifles, and other various implements of destruction and let me speak. Now that you're not about to kill me, I apologize for the unprecedented nearly year-long hiatus. A lot has happened in my personal life, and not a lot of it good either. So, as can be expected, I haven't had much drive to do any writing until a few days ago. But, for those of you who awaited this chapter without harboring any ill thoughts towards me during said hiatus, your patience is about to be rewarded. Without further ado, I present chapter 13!_**

-Robert's POV-

"Easy now," I said, holding my hand out towards Skelly, who was on a ledge below me, "all you have to do is reach out and grab my hand."

She gave me a death stare. "Will you shut up!? I'm working on it, so stop freaking me out!" She shimmied towards me, pressing herself up against the rock face so she couldn't see the drop before her. It took her a few minutes, but she eventually grabbed hold, allowing me to hoist her up over the edge.

I chuckled as she tried, and failed, to regain her composure. "C'mon, Skels," I said, shoving her a bit, "it wasn't that bad."

Her voice was as cold as ice when she spoke. "First off, you know damn well I'm terrified of heights, and second," she grabbed my shirt collar, "I warned you not to call me 'Skels'. Do you want me to hurt you?"

I held her gaze as I pressed the barrel of my pistol into her stomach. "The rounds I'm using may be rubber, but, at point-blank range, who's to say they won't punch a hole in you. Do you really want to risk it?" We remained locked for a while, the tension becoming palpable as we stared at each other. After a while, neither of us could hold our serious demeanor any longer, both of us doubling over with laughter.

She released my collar, and undid her ponytail, allowing her grey hair to flow free. "It's getting harder to be serious around you, you know that? I swear, every day I'm near you, I can feel my old self slipping away. What're you doing to me?"

I pondered her question, holstering my pistol in the process. "Can't say I know. I just have that effect on people, I guess. Besides, you're changing for the better. You're a lot more fun then when you first moved in with my friends and I."

One of her eyebrows shot up. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," I said, raising a squeak out of her as I hoisted her onto my back, "you're much more fun to be around. When you first started living with us, you were so quiet. Now, you're just as animated as the rest of us."

She was quiet for a bit, settling into the makeshift seat my arms had created. "I suppose so. Anywho, what did Cage need so bad that he'd send us up this massive mountain? Or, rather, what would he need that'd be in a Crag biome?"

She had a valid point. I looked out across the landscape laid out before us. Aside from the the bluish rock that covered the tops of these massive mountains, there was nothing in sight. As far as I knew, most mobs never even spawned up here. With a sigh, I was about to make my way back down the mountain, when a sudden crackle caused us to jump. "Robert, you got a copy?" Jack's voice said, seemingly appearing from nowhere.

I fumbled with the radio on my belt, finally getting a grip on it after nearly dropping it three times. "This is Robert, whatcha need Shadowman?"

I grinned as I heard Jack let out a groan over the radio. "One, I told you not to call me that, and two, it seems you guys are close to that signature we picked up earlier. You're probably really close to that item Cage needs. If you're not too busy, I'd suggest looking into it."

I flicked open the sensor Cage had made to locate the item, confirming Jack's suspicions. "Can do, Shadowman. We'll take a look around. Robert out." I turned off the radio before Jack had the chance to tell me off.

I could hear Skelly giggling on my back. "You love teasing him, don't you?"

I pretended to contemplate an answer. "Possibly. Come on, we need to find this thing, whatever it is." I adjusted Skelly on my back and took off at a jog, keeping the sensor open so I could track the signature. As we moved across the empty landscape, the signature on the sensor never moved.

Skelly, who seemed just as confused as I was, reached over my shoulder and held the sensor closer for a better look. "Hmm...Robert...I'm thinking that we need to go underground."

I came to a halt. "What!? There's a reason Crags never have any monsters on the surface, you know!"

Her face didn't even lift from the sensor as she spoke. "I'm aware that the insides of these mountains are feral hotbeds, but, from what I'm seeing on the screen, the object that Cage is after is at the bottom of this mountain. Like, at bedrock level."

I stood there, still and silent, assessing our situation. Cage had refused to allow me to use normal rounds for my pistol, forcing me to use the rubber ones I currently had, so I really didn't have any lethality. Skelly still had her arrows, but that wouldn't do much in the long run. "If we go down there, there is an extremely high chance that we'll be torn apart." I looked over at Skelly, silently asking her if she still wanted to attempt it. She gave me a reassuring look, nodding. With a heavy sigh, I pulled a pickaxe from my pack and began to dig out a path into the mountain. In no time, I had dug a massive staircase deep into the mountain.

I was about to stop for a breather, when I broke through into a cavern. Skelly quickly ducked into the hole and lit up the surrounding area with torches. "Alright, the light should keep the smarter ferals away. Come on in."

I took a light, tentative step into the dimly lit cavern. The massive fissure stretched on for miles, a river of lava bubbling far below. The sounds of feral mobs could be heard all around, some alarmingly close. We stuck close to each other and began to move carefully across the ledge, making sure each step had a solid foothold. We were about to round a corner into a small cave when a large Spider popped out of the entrance. Skelly and I stood completely still as the massive arachnid surveyed its surroundings, eventually crawling over and down the wall of the fissure. We waited for the sounds of its crawling to fade away before moving again. We ducked into the cave, quickly plunking down a few Induction Torches. Their green glow filled the cave, causing many mobs to shriek and run out of the glow.

I flipped the sensor around and checked the signature. "Seems we're right on top of it. We just need to go straight down."

I pulled my pick out of my pack and pulled back to break the stone at our feet, when Skelly caught my arm. "Hold on a sec." She said as she placed her hand on the stone I was about to hit, a slightly pained look crossing her face as her skin connected with the stone. "We can't get down this way; there's lava about ten blocks beneath us here, and from what I can tell, it turns to gravel about half down."

I stared at her, jaw slack with surprise as she gave this information. Curious, I placed my hand on the stone, but felt no obvious difference in heat. "How'd you know there's lava down there?" I asked, curious and skeptical.

Skelly flexed her now red hand as she contemplated an answer. "As you know, the undead ferals burn in sunlight, right?" She started as she continued to feel the surrounding stone for a safe way down. "Well, that stems from a sensitivity to heat that humanized Skeletons and Zombies share. It's not like we have an aversion to fire or anything like that, it's just our lack of body heat makes us vulnerable to sudden changes in temperature or extremes of both hot and cold." I quietly ran this new and interesting bit of information as she continued to search for a safe path. After a bit she finally spoke up. "Dig here."

With a flourish of my pick, I brought it down on the stone beneath me...and immediately regretted the action. No sooner did my pick make contact with the stone did the entire cave floor give way, plunging Skelly and I into a free fall. "What the fuck!" We screamed as we plummeted downward. We seemed to fall forever, the blackness below us seeming to devour the cavern walls that were speeding by. Soon enough, the two of us were surrounded by darkness, no, not darkness, but a blackness that was darker than any fear or twisted thought could ever possibly be. Neither of us could even tell if we were even falling anymore, as there was no longer any air moving around us.

Skelly made an attempt to push herself up. "What the hell...?" She whispered as she stood. I followed her example and slowly got to my feet, cautiously surveying my surroundings. Both of us looked around, trying to make some sense of the all-consuming blackness that surrounded us. "W-Where the hell are we?" She stuttered out, keeping a white-knuckled grip on her bow.

Once again, my gaze swept around, attempting to peer through the black, before I finally spoke up. "I honestly have no idea, however," I said as I grabbed hold of the sensor around Skelly's neck, "the item Cage need is just ahead of us."

I went reeling as Skelly proceeded to back hand me, knocking the sensor out of my hands and flooring me in the process. "How can you worry about something so trivial!?" She fumed. "What the hell is wrong with you!? How can you worry about this...thing when we have no idea where we are!?"

I was about to answer her when a familiar voice burst out of the radio at my hip. "I may be able to assist you on this matter." The voice said.

I nearly dropped radio as I hastily unhooked it from my belt. "Cage!? Holy shit, Cage, is that you!?"

My friend's familiar chuckle emanated from the radio. "That it is friend, that it is. Now before you ask me where you are, I need to ask you to remain calm, as freaking out will draw unwanted attention."

Skelly blanched as Cage spoke. "Why?" She asked.

Cage could be heard clearing his throat. "Well...that's because you two are currently standing in the Void."

-Skelly's POV-

I could feel panic start to well up inside of me as the word "Void" made its way out of the radio. "W-When you say 'Void', d-do you mean-"

Cage's voice interrupted me before I could finish. "Yes, I mean the Void. The bottomless pit that resides beneath the unbreakable bedrock layer. The pit, that, should you be unfortunate enough to fall into the blackness, there is no escape from. I mean that Void." Terror wormed it way into my heart as Cage spoke, filling me to the brim with fear. I was about to start screaming when Cage spoke up again. "However, this time, you all will be able to leave. Don't believe me, look up."

Hesitantly, I brought my eyes upward, jumping at the sight of two bright green orbs hovering in the darkness. "J-Jack?" I muttered unsteadily.

A hollow chuckle filled the darkness as Cage spoke. "That's right. He can't interfere, but, once you get the object I require, he's your ticket out of the Void." The radio was silent as Cage let that little bit of information sink in. "Now, time to tell you about the object I sent you after and why you couldn't use regular bullets. The item I desire is a mythical plant that can only be found within the Void. It's a shining silver in color, small, fern-like fronds and large thorns covering the stems. Only one of said plants will have a deep crimson flower sprouting atop it, once you find it, pluck it and bring it to me."

A deadly silence filled the air as Cage's words flowed out of the radio. Rage boiled up inside of me as I spoke my next words. "You mean to tell me that you sent us to the Void- the inescapable death pit- for a FUCKING PLANT!?" I continued to rant for a good five minutes while Robert stood motionless, obviously zoned out. "Hello, earth to Robert!" I said whilst snapping my fingers in front of his face, drawing his attention back to the situation at hand. "And why aren't you more livid about this?"

His eyes seemed to drift again as he spoke. "Sorry, I was just thinking. I could've sworn I've heard of this plant before…" His words trailed off as he once again became lost in thought. After several minutes of silence, his eyes lit up as he seemed to remember something. "I have heard of it! I read about it in Interdimensional Botany! I think the entry went like this: 'Within the Void grows a fern-like plant clad in shining silver thorns, each containing an aggressive neurotoxin. Atop the fronds sits a delicate, crimson red flower, it's shape resembling that of a hibiscus. However, do not be deceived into thinking these are the only dangers you face. Should anyone be foolish enough to attempt to pluck the flower, the offender will face the plant's wrath. The plant is highly carnivorous, and will attempt to incapacitate and devour alive those who trespass onto its territory. It ensnares its prey by either wrapping it up with its roots, each root being as strong as steel, or by sticking them to the ground using a sticky sap that it can eject from it's massive maw. It's mouth is comprised four large petals, each resembling a tear drop in shape. Long, wickedly sharp teeth line the edges of each petal. The flora uses the teeth to lock its prey within its maw, whilst digestive juices, containing enzymes of unfathomable potency, liquefy the unfortunate victim, the digestion process taking only mere minutes to run its course. However, although dangerous, this plant is considered a blessing in many magical circles. The only thing harvestable is the small flower that sits in the plant's center. Should you survive the plant's onslaught, said flower has many a use. The neurotoxin alone is a valuable catalytic, used for potions, stabilizing agents in mystical fabrics, and is valuable in the processing of magicked metals. The fibers within the stalk, thorns, and flower of the plant have a unique property; the ability to counter a Beholder's decaying gaze. Not only that, but the fibers have the ability to retain extreme amounts of magical energy.' That's all I can remember."

The pieces of this mysterious and dangerous puzzle slowly began to fit together as Robert finished speaking. "Okay… I can understand why you'd need this plant, but what I don't get is why you'd send us to obtain it."

The radio was silent for a few seconds before Cage spoke. "It's because I can't go anywhere near the plant. There were a few things Robert couldn't remember about the plant. One of said things is its food preference. The aura it emits cancels all potentially fatal magics set against it, rendering anyone who possess magic useless...and making them a delicious meal. Normal weapons have no effect on it, either, as it has a ward around it that can only be pierced by magic."

I interrupted Cage before he could continue, "Then how the hell are we supposed to kill it!?"

A heavy, irritated sigh could be heard from the radio. "I'm getting to that. The rubber rounds that Robert has with him have been imbued with a special magicked herbicide. The magical aura it throws is just powerful enough to punch through the ward, making an opening for the herbicide to splash onto the plant. The poison should render the area hit incapable of regenerating its ward. That being said, you have a small window of opportunity before the herbicide wears off, allowing the ward to return, so hit it hard and fast."

Robert and I simply stared at each other as Cage spoke those words and the radio went silent. As we stared at each other, I could see flickers of excitement fill Robert's eyes. "You can count on us!"

I stared at Robert, slack jawed, as he hooked the radio back to his belt and flipped the sensor back on in one fluid motion. "You actually plan on obtaining that plant!?" I asked, panicked, as he checked his pistol and ammo.

A wild smile sprawled across his face as he started walking, checking the sensor from time to time. "I have every intention to! Not only am I dying to see what this beastie looks like, I've been itching for a fight as of late, and I'm not about to pass this one up!" With that he took off in, what I could only guess to be, a westerly direction.

I watched, slightly defeated, as he sprinted off on his course. With a heavy sigh, I took off after him, the sheer emptiness around me unnerving me to the extreme. We ran for what felt like hours, although he didn't seem to notice. As we moved about this dark, abyssal expanse, I felt as though we were being watched. Every once and awhile, I would see movement deep within the darkness, unsure if it was potential threats or my overactive imagination. Right when I was about to draw my bow to attack one of those wisps of movement, I noticed a step too late that Robert had stopped moving, colliding into him. Dazed, I took a few steps back and, when I finally managed to shake the stars from my vision, I was greeted with an incredible sight. In front of me was an expanse of green fields, rocky outcropping, and beautiful shining silver plants, each topped with vibrant flowers spanning the entirety of the color spectrum. "Oh wow…" I said, stunned by the beauty of the area before me, "I never there was something so beautiful in this god forsaken pit."

I walked over to the nearest flower and studied it. The silver fronds seemed fragile, like the slightest wind could shatter them. Atop those gorgeous fronds sat a stunning violet bloom. It's hues were more beautiful than any fabric or painting that I had ever seen. The flower seemed to draw me in and I bent down to pluck it. Just before I could, however, Robert caught my hand and hoisted me up. " I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I jerked my hand away from his grasp before speaking. "And why not? One little flower won't hurt anything."

Once again, Robert grabbed hold of my arm to keep me from grabbing hold of the shining plant before me. "For starters," he said pulling out a Safari Net. With a flick of his wrist, a cow popped out of the net, landing next to the flower I was about to pluck. I watched in a mixture of horror and awe as the ground around the plant split apart as four violet petals engulfed the helpless bovine. "every plant here is a class of carnivorous megaflora. From what I just saw, it's seems they resemble a piranha plant crossed with a malboro and a triffid."

I had to pry myself away from the plant, which was already sinking the petals that comprised its maw back into the ground, having been finished with dissolving the cow. "A what, what and what?"

He simply shook his head as he put away the empty Safari Net. "It'd take too long to explain. Come on, we have to find that plant."

I simply nodded and started after him, scanning the endless sea of flora for our target. We slowly picked our way around the plants beneath out feet, planning each step carefully as to not end up like that unfortunate cow. After a few minutes of searching, a glimmer of red and silver caught my eye. As I turned, I saw a flower that outshone all the others around it. Slowly, cautiously I walked up to the gorgeous plant. It's fronds almost seemed to be made of the silver dust that falls from an angel's wings, making seem ghost-like in quality. The thorns looked as though they were forged of solid silver, shining against the dark horizons that engulfed the sky. Atop sat the bloom, with such deep crimson hues that the petals seemed to be made of fresh blood, pooled and suspended in the shape of a hibiscus. "R-Robert…" I said quietly, half out of caution, half out of reverence, "I found it."

In a matter of seconds, he was at my side, marveling at the stunning flower. "O-Okay," he said as he peeled his eyes away from the plant, "we need to come up with a plan. We have no idea how big this one is, or how strong. So, what we should do is loosely tie a rope at the base of the plant, tie the other end of your arr…" His words began to trail off as I continued to stare at the flower. Slowly, I could feel my arm gravitate towards its stem, it calling to me louder and louder the closer my hand got. My hand passed between the fronds, their ethereal texture giving me goose bumps. Tentatively, my fingers grasped the stem and- "WAIT!" I heard Robert scream, but it was too late. The ground around us began to roil, the green grass turning an ominous sanguine hue, then, it a matter of seconds, it emerged.

The ground around us erupted, throwing us clear for the original site. At least ten silver roots tore themselves free from the ground, each as big around as a Ghast and several chunks long. The true stalk of the plant emerged next, reach and easy fifteen feet into the air before bending back down and stopping at the "bloom". The massive bloom was in the shape of a hibiscus, but in the center was its maw; four large, flesh-like petals, all lined with huge, sharp teeth. Robert and I watched in awe as the four petals closed and a long barbed "tongue" slid out from the center of its closed maw, seemingly tasting the air. After a few flicks, the appendage lashed back into its mouth, and it turned…to face us. The petals tore open to unleash a high-pitched, air-shattering roar, deafening us in the process. The root nearest to us heaved back, then lashed forward like a whip, tear the ground beneath it. Still disoriented from the roar, both of barely managed to dodge, the clipping Robert's arm and my side. Pain exploded through my chest as several ribs broke from the force of the blow and the sudden stop on the ground. Shakily, I force myself up and tried to draw my bow, however, I was met with another root, this time catching the full impact. The blow sent me flying back, breaking an arm and cracking my sternum. I laid on the ground broken and bleeding, watching hopelessly as one of the roots rushed in for the kill, only for it to be stopped short by a bluish-green substance splattering onto it. As the substance spread, the plant let out what sounded like a wail of pain. During this distraction, a saw a maroon vial fall to the ground a shatter, covering me in a sweet-smelling fluid. In seconds, I could feel my bones knitting themselves back together, every crack and pop causing me to wince or cry out. Before long I was able to stand, coming eye to eye with Robert, who seemed rather displeased. "Umm…thanks for that."

Robert only shook his head as he turn to face the plant. "Next time we do something like this, please listen to the game plan next time, rather than diving in balls deep, okay?" I could only nod sheepishly as we looked at the plant. In a flash, Robert leveled his pistol and shot off two more rounds, splattering two more areas with herbicide. "As I hit areas with the herbicide, fill it full arrows, got it?" With that he took off, splattering many areas with the toxic substance. On cue, I drew back my bow, nocking several arrows at a time, and let them fly, one set after another. I peppered the beast with as many arrows as I could, filling the open areas, but it only seemed to annoy the creature. I kept on my assault, but, for some reason, it became harder and harder to move my arms.

Before long, I found it almost impossible to move. As struggled, two words from the passage Robert had recited popped it my mind; aggressive neurotoxin. Fruitlessly, I attempted to call out to Robert. As one of the roots coiled, he came into view, frozen stiff from the toxin. I was forced to watch on in horror as the maw of the plant neared Robert. I struggled as hard as I could, trying to free myself from the toxin's grip, all to no avail. Then, a silent scream formed in my throat as the beast's tongue slide out its mouth, wrapped around Robert's waist…and pulled him inside its maw.

-Robert's P.O.V.-

"R-er- -om- -n -an -o- -e me."

The sound of a voice jolted my out of unconsciousness. 'Where am I?' I asked myself, unable to see in the darkness that surrounded me. 'It's warm in here, the air is cloyingly sweet, and I'm surrounded what feels like…honey?' My thoughts were a scrambled mess, and I was unable to clear my head. While I was trying gather my thoughts, the voice echoed out again, clearer this time.

"Rober- com- in. Can yo- here me?"

I sluggishly fumbled with the radio at my belt and brought it up. "H-Hello?"

The familiar voice echoed out from radio again. "Good, you're still coherent. Listen I need you to drink the fluid around you. It'll clear your mind."

Mind still incredibly muddled, I obediently dipped my hand into the honey around me and took a sip. The fluid, which tasted like cloves and root beer, shooting past my lips like quicksilver, seeming to go straight to my brain. The fog that engulfed my mind was blown away, allowing me to remember everything…including the rest of this plant's passage. "Thanks, Cage," I quickly said I into the radio, "I owe you one." In one swift action, I filled one of the large flasks I carry with me with the digestive enzymes that surrounded me, then shot two pellets of herbicide straight up, blowing a hole in the plant's maw. With a gurgle of surprise, the plant jettisoned me from its mouth, causing me to crash to the ground, dislocating my shoulder in the process. With a grunt, I heaved myself off the ground and took off towards where Skelly was laying. She was frozen stiff, but relief and bewilderment filled her eyes when she saw me. I quickly flicked open the flask the contained the enzymes and slowly poured some into her mouth. One of her eyebrows lifted in curiosity, which was a good sign, before she was up like a shot.

She at the flask and back to me several times before speaking. "What the hell was in that!? I don't feel a bit of lethargy or paralysis from the toxin."

I stoppered the flask and put it on my belt. "Once again, no time for an explanation. But I do have a plan to bring this thing down. Once again shoot were I shoot." With that I took off, dodging beneath and around the roots, waiting for my opening. Sure enough, my target, the beast's tongue, slivered out of the maw, attempting to track us both. I stopped and leveled my pistol, launching my last pellet of herbicide, coating the tongue. The beast let out a horrible wail, which was cut short by one of Skelly's arrows severing the tongue from the plant's body. The appendage hit the ground and began to flail about, whilst every other part of the plant went rigid. "Come on!" I called to Skelly. "Let's go grab that flower!"

We climbed our way up the roots of the plant, coming to the top after a few minutes. At the top sat the very same flower that started this situation. Skelly took a few unseay steps forward. "Are you sure it's safe to pick now?"

I nodded before speaking. "It is. The "tongue" was basically this plant's brain. Without it, it can't defend itself." Still uneasy, she stooped down and plucked the flower. She braced to see if something was going to happen, but nothing did.

With a sigh of relief, she bagged our trophy and looked up. "Okay, Jack. Take us home."

The pair of green orbs obtained a shadowy body and stood before us, holding out its hands. Skelly grasped one, but I refused as I had an idea in mind. "Go on ahead, Skels. I got a few things to take care of here. Get her there safe, eh Shadowman?" The figure let out a groan and whisked Skelly away before she could protest. "Now then," I said, looking over the now green grass below, "let's get started."

-Skelly's P.O.V.-

"What the hell!?" I yelled at Robert as he walked in the door of the main base, Jack in tow. "Why the fuck would you want to stay in that god forsaken pit!?"

With a flourish, he brandished a long bow of remarkable craftsmanship. The bow was a shining silver whilst the string was a bright gold. "I needed materials to make this, a new bow for you. The bow itself is made from the roots of the plant we brought down, whilst it's tongue it the string. Not only that but this beauty as well." After handing me the bow, he produce something equally astonishing; the very same plant that ate the cow. The plant was in a large pot and seemed…content with its new dwelling. "I figured you'd like something to remember our first big adventure together. These were the best I could come up with."

I could feel myself tearing up as I looked at the gifts. I lunged at Robert, wrapping him into a huge hug, one that he returned with equal intensity, causing my cheeks to grow hot. "Thank you so much." I said quietly. "This is more than I could ever ask for. At least let me do this to repay you." With that a gave him a kiss on the cheek. When I pulled away, he stood there like a Creeper in a floodlight, except he was bright red instead of green. Before he could react, I gathered my gifts and started towards my room, smiling to myself. 'Notch…' I thought to myself 'Any more of this and I'll fall for the idiot.' I giggled at the thought as I entered my room. I placed the plant on my desk and gave in one of the cooked chickens I had in my mini fridge, which it ate happily. With the thought of falling for Robert still in mind, I was restless, so to calm myself, I started to test out the bow. With every thwack of an arrow smacking into the target, I could myself calm, eventually mindlessly shooting arrows into the target.

-Chapter 13 end-

**_I hope this was worth the wait, or at least makes up for it a small bit. Hopefully the next chapter won't take a year to come up, eh? Whelp, till then, see ya in the next chapter!_**


	15. Chapter 14

**_Hello, Interwebs! Look, I posted another chapter and didn't need to take a year to wait. That being said, I'm sorry I didn't post faster, but this chapter gave me a little trouble. Anywho, hope you like it._**

-Cage's P.O.V.-

"Andr, hold that stabilizer! If that thing slips, this whole reactor will blow!" I shouted, my voice barely audible around the cacophony of sirens that filled the lab. The Endergirl took a few seconds to read my lips and seemed to understand what I had said and took hold of the massive metal beam, holding it in place with all of her strength (which is a lot, mind you). Once I made sure the stabilizer was secured, I dove beneath the reactor and began readjusting the control rod, attempting to configure it to the point that the Voidnum, the element made solely from the otherworldly energy emited by Void fog, will remain stable within the reactor. However, halfway through tinkering with the control rod, I heard something start to ping around it the reactor, and, a few seconds later, a piece of black crystal fell out of the casing, hitting the ground with a clatter. Upon seeing it, Andr's face blanched and she fell to her knees, letting go of the stabilizer in the process. Before I could even react, the metal beam flew back, snapping off its hinges and hurtled towards the wall, clipping Andr's head in passing. Despite it only being only a glancing blow, the force of the hit sent her spiraling, causing her to land in front of the intake port of the reactor. Time seemed to slow as move towards her as fast as I could, trying to get to her before the blackened flames that began pour from the intake engulfed her. I barely managed to throw myself over her before the flames poured over us. The heat was, well, no words could describe the heat and pain that washed across my back before I could get a shield up. A few seconds after the intake erupted into flames, the entirety of reactor exploded, metal shrapnel, blackened flames and black crystal when flying everywhere. The inferno raged on for a few minutes before finally dissipating, revealing a sad scene. The lab was in ruins, all the research I had on the Voidnum, gone. The reactor casing was nearly nonexistent, as the only thing that seemed to remain of it was little globules of the Titanium-Grandenium alloy it was comprised of flung about the charred scenery. The control rod and the stabilizers were stuck in various walls, and, of course, the single Voidnum ingot I owned was sitting in the middle of the carnage, completely unharmed. Slowly, I stood up and walked over to the piece of solid darkness, picking it up and turning it over in my hand. With a sigh, I pocketed the ingot, then walked over to one of the many black crystals that littered the wreckage. Cautiously, I picked up one of the crystals, curious as to why Andr seemed so terrified when she saw the one that fell from the reactor. After studying the sliver of stone, a single memory came to mind, causing me to regard the crystal in a more dangerous light. I gathered the remaining crystals as fast as I could, stuffing them in one of my few obsidian cloth bags that survived the blast, tying the bag to a belt loop when I finished. In one motion, I unclipped the radio at my waist and flicked it on so I could speak. "Cupa, come in Cupa. Do you read me?"

The radio was silent for a few moments before Cupa's voice sounded from the speaker. "Hiya, Cage! Whatcha need?"

I cast a sidelong glance towards Andr before speaking again. "Another reactor went up, only this time I'm not a hundred percent sure what happened. Andr took a stabilizer to the side of the head and is unconscious. Normally, I'd take her to my room myself and tend to her, but I desperately need to get to Tezi. Do you mind taking her to my room?"

I could practically feel the facepalm I heard from the radio. "Yeah, I can do that, just make sure she's comfortable till I get there."

"Can do." With that I removed the scorched shirt I was wearing and made it into a makeshift pillow, placing it beneath her head. Gently, I rolled her onto her back and made sure the arms were across her chest. Before I stood, I checked her head for blood and injuries, but, thankfully, there were none visible. With one more glance at the unconscious Endergirl, I strode out the Dimensional Door that lead to the elevator, grabbing my spare coat that I kept near my lab's exit. One short elevator ride later, I was on the surface and on my way to Tezi. I shook my head as I walked down the now paved path to our favorite village, admiring the progress my friends and I had made in this world. Induction lamps, based around the Induction Torches we had made, lined the path to keep pesky ferals off and to keep it well lit during the nighttime hours. The forest beyond the path was no longer your typical oak and birch wood forest, but now made up of Dark Oaks, Spruce, Jungle, Teak, Mahogany, and many other Forestry trees, not to mention several groves of Nether trees, only adding to the flair of the entire area. Beneath the canopy of the forest, ferals could be seen roaming in the shadowy reaches of the wooded area, avoiding the path and roaming blissfully in the darkness. Of course, there was precautions for when the bulbs in the lamps blew. There were laser turrets placed along the path every few hundred feet, set to fry any mobs that wandered too close to the path. I was in the middle of thinking of how to upgrade the turrets when I finally reached Tezi, greeting many of my friends I had made over the past year. With a smile, I strode through the village, chatting and cutting up with many of the inhabitants. After a while, I reached the village library and strode inside. To my surprise, there was another person, covered by a black, hooded robe, inside Lillith's shop, which was odd because when she hears I'm coming she usually clears her shop so she can be alone with me.

After a little while, she noticed me standing at the door. "Oh, Cage! Come in! I'd like you to meet a friend of mine." With a light shove she pushed me in front of the hooded figure. "Cage this is Mortimer, a close friend and business partner. Mortimer, this is Cage Destrin, a valued customer, close friend, and the First Witch."

My eyes widened as Lillith let loose my secret. "Really!? I thought we promised not to tell stra-"

I was cut off by the hooded figure. "So you're one of the infamous First." The figure stood, revealing that he was a few inches shorter than me. "Well then, allow me to introduce myself." The young man pulled back the hood of his robe revealing a head of teal hair and sea green eyes. His skin was almost snow white in complexion, and, despite his apparently young age, his features were quite chiseled. "My name's Mortimer Décès, second born child of King Graves "Tombstone" Décès, leader of the Zombie nation. It's a pleasure."

I gave the prince before me a slight bow. "The pleasures all mine, Your Majesty. So what brings you all the way out here?"

The prince sighed slightly before speaking. "First off, please don't call me 'Your Majesty'; I despise that title. Second, I'm here to deliver this week's shipment of books to Miss Lillith."

I watched with a slight grin as Lillith's checks grew red. "Now, Mortimer, I asked you to call me Lily."

A sly glint shone in Mortimer's eyes. "Now, now, my lady. Why be so cruel as to not allow me to call you by your true name. While 'Lily' is fitting for you, I feel 'Lillith' is more worthy of a creature of your beauty."

Lillith's cheeks became redder and redder with every word from from Mortimer's mouth, finally slamming her head down on her desk to hide her embarrassment. "And on that note," she said, desperately trying to change the subject, "what're you here for Cage? You haven't ordered any books, so it's odd for you to be here."

With a serious demeanor returning to my face, I lightly placed the bag of crystals on Lillith's desk. "These are what brought me here." I said, untying the drawstrings of the bag, revealing the black crystals inside. "Another reactor went up today, and I feel like these were the cause of it."

Both Lillith and Mortimer looked into the back and immediately backed off. "H-How did you come across these?" Mortimer asked, seemingly terrified.

I pulled out one of the crystals, inspecting it as I spoke. "As I said, another one of my reactors exploded. It seems the reactor casing was full of these black crystals." With a sigh, I placed the crystal back into its bag. "So, mind telling why you're so scared of these?"

A moment of silence between the two of them before Lillith spoke. "These are...raw Adminium crystals, the only metal that can disrupt and stop a mob's respawn cycle. I thought the mob rulers were the only ones who knew how to manufacture it…"

I could see the fear as she explained and began to reach for the bag to close it up, only to be stopped by a knife sinking into the Teak desk. "I'm afraid I can let you take those, Cage." I cast a glare over to the Zombie prince, only to met with equally cold eyes. "It's too dangerous for someone as inexperienced with this metal as you to keep these." He said as he reached for the obsidian cloth bag. "They need to be destroyed."

I let loose a volley of razor-sharp ice shards at the prince, who nimbly dodged the assault. "And I'm afraid those are my property. Now that I know what they are, I'm sure I can find a new use for them. Now, I will take these crystals back to my base and you'll forget you ever saw them. However, if you wish to fight," the air around me grew hot and metallic in scent as arcs of electricity hovered around my hands, "I have no trouble with a little target practice."

The Zombie before me regarded the change in my stance coolly and sheathed the knife he had pointed at me. "Calm yourself, First Witch, I have no intention to throw my life away. I just wished to rid this world of that foul metal, but if you feel you can use that cursed material for good, then I've no right to stop you." He walked over to the desk and pulled his knife from the wood, sheathing it as well. "While it pains me that it will continue to exist, take care of those crystals. I'd hate for them to fall into the wrong hands." With that he tossed me the bag of crystals and strode out the door.

After a few seconds, I broke the deafening silence. "Well then, he's quite the character, isn't he?"

Lillith regarded me blankly before furrowing her brow. "You weren't really gonna fight in my shop, were you?"

I could feel my cheeks brighten as she called me out. "Well...I mean if he had actually come at me, I would've had to defend myself…"

The displeasure in her voice was audible as she ranted. "Cage Destrin! Of all people, I thought you would've understood just how debilitating a fight of that scale would've been to my shop! Not to mention you, Mortimer, and myself could've been severely hurt! I mean, come on! I thought you smarter than th-"

Her rant was interrupted by Mortimer bursting in through the door. "Lillith, First Cage! There's trouble!"

Lillith was the first to respond. "What is it?"

Mortimer's next words cause Lillith's face to blanch. "It's my brother."

-Andr's P.O.V.-

"Wakey, Wakey, Andy." I heard Cupa's voice coo.

With a light groan, I opened my eyes, hissing at the bright lights positioned above where I was laying. "What happened…?"

I heard a light chuckle to the side, rolling over to see Cupa and Mina at my bedside. "How ya feelin, Andr?" Mina asked, fiddling with her bandana.

I groaned again before answering. "Like I got hit by a ton of gravel…" I sat up and looked around, noticing Cage was absent from the room. "Where's Cage?"

My two friends exchanged uneasy glances. "Well, he left for Tezi a few hours ago, but we haven't heard anything in a while." A flower of worry began to blossom in my chest. "I'm sure he okay, though. Probably just cutting up with Lil-"

Cupa was interrupted by my radio turning on. "Hello!?" Cage's voice poured from the speaker, "If anyone at base can here me, I could use some help. I'm in a bit of tro-" Cage's words were cut off by a loud crunch and static.

In a panic, I warpped to the desk and scooped up the radio. "Cage! Cage, answer me! Answer me, damn it!" I dropped my head and stared at the floor, stunned by what I had heard.

I could here my friends walk up behind me. "Andy…?"

Cupa's voice jolted me back to reality, and, in a rush, I started to get ready to leave for Tezi. I was about to grab my boots, when Mina stepped in front of me. "And where do you think you're going."

I glared at the Zombie Pigman before me. "I'm going to help Cage. Now, stand aside."

I moved towards my jacket, only for Cupa to bar my way. "Not in your condition. Cage would have our ass if we let you go to him." Both Cupa and Mina moved towards me. "Now lay back down, or we'll make you."

My natural instincts kicked in at their aggression. The lights in the room began to flicker as the sound of static filled the room and a deep purple glow lined my body. "Do you honestly think the two are enough to keep me here?" I said, my voice lined with menace. Both my friends faces went white as I spoke, stepping aside. In a matter of seconds I threw on my boots and jacket and warpped to Tezi, nearly sobbing at the scene.

Most of the houses were in ruin, the fields were in flames and many of the villagers dead and…half-eaten. I ran through the carnage in search of Cage, calling his name. As I ran past Lillith's shop, I heard a familiar voice call out to me. "Lady Andrea!"

My ears pricked at the call of my royal name, turning to see Lillith waving towards me. I made my way inside the shop and immediately was enraged by the sight. Cage was laying on her bed, obviously beaten within half an inch of his life. "Who did this to him…" I demanded, my voice shaking with rage.

Lillith was near tears as she spoke. "It's was Rotger. He came with a small army of Zombies. Cage and Mortimer defeated most of them, until they encountered Rot. It was like their attacks had no effect on him, and he just beat them nearly to death…"

I didn't listen to the rest of the scenario before I warpped to the center of the city. With a lungful of air I shouted. "Rotger Décès, you slimy piece of maggot shit! Get your ass out here and face me!" I could here the asshole's laughter fill the air as a hoard of humanized Zombies walked out from around the buildings, all sneering at me. "What's this about, Rotger? Too much of a pussy to come and face me yourself!?"

Once again his annoying, cruel laughter filled the area. "Hardly, my little trophy. There's just no need to crush a fly with a 16-ton weight when a swatter is much more effective. Besides," he continued, all of his men pulling Adminium blades, "they are more than ready to kill you. Sad, you would've made a lovely plaything, but I like my women nice and obedient. Kill her."

With those words, his men rushed me, not aware of the sudden drop on temperature. Static once again filled the air around me, the ominous purple glow returning before I went on the attack, grabbing the nearest two Zombies and slamming their heads together, causing them to pop like grapes. The hoard stopped, astounded by how easily I dispatched their comrades. They looked from me to the now headless and twitching corpses at my feet and back. I smirked at their fearful gazes. "Well?" I taunted, my vision fading to black, my adversaries becoming outlined in purple, showing how terrified they truly were. "I thought you all were here to kill me. Or, perhaps, you all are too scared?" My taunt had the desired effect, as the most terrified Zombies rushed me. Soon the group was engulfed by a myriad of forcefully removed limbs, organs, bones, and a cacophony of screams. Seconds later, my work finished, I turned to the remaining Zombies and grinned evilly. "Whose next…?"

-Cage's P.O.V.-

The sounds of screams of terror shocked me back to consciousness. I immediately tried to sit up, but regretted the action as pain rocked the entirety of my body. Lillith must have heard my groans and came over to help me up. "What's going on out there?"

Lillith's eyes were full of fear as she spoke. "It's Lady Andrea, I'm mean, Andr. She showed up a few minutes after Rot stomped you. When I told her what had happened, she warpped to the center of town, and, well…" Her words trailed off as she ushered me to a window. "See for yourself."

I looked out the window and was mesmerized by the carnage taking place in the village square. Zombie were being annihilated in various ways, each just as gory as the last. In the midst of the bloody mist that surrounded the battlefield, a figure, surrounded by an ominous amethyst glow, could be seen, gracefully dodging blows and detaching various limbs of anyone stupid enough to get in its way. After a few minutes, the mist finally settled the ominous figure revealed to be…Andr? "I didn't know she was so powerful…" Was all I could manage to say past how awestruck I was.

The two of us watched as another wave of Zombies rush the Endergirl, immediately being torn to shreds by the enraged being. "The rage of an Enderman…" Lillith said past a breath of awe. "I've never seen it from a humanized Enderman, only the occasional feral. Sure a feral's rage is scary, but this…is utterly terrifying."

Her words barely registered as I watched Andr rip through her enemies, marveling at how graceful she was as she moved throughout the hoard. "Terrifying isn't the word I'd use here." My words caused Lillith to give me an odd look. "No, she isn't terrifying. She gorgeous, awe-inspiring, and, although enraged, gentle and kind. No, terrifying doesn't describe Andr, not even now."

Lillith stared at me for a while before a sad smile crept across her lips. "I see. That's why she's enraged." She clapped my on the back. "You're a lucky man, Cage Destrin. Don't do something that would cause you to lose that girl."

I could feel my cheeks grow hot as she made that comment. I was about to make a retort when the ground began to tremble. Fear blossomed in my chest as a familiar pattern began to form in the tremors. A few tremors later, my fear was realized, as a hulking behemoth of a Zombie forced his way between the buildings, causing several houses to crumble. "Rotger…" I could her Andr hiss. The Zombie prince's arms could make a Dark Oak envious, but that was his only redeeming feature. His legs were small, making him walk with his arms like a gorilla, and had horrid underbite, his bottom jaw jutting forward a few inches from his top jaw, revealing several jagged, broken teeth, all yellow and black in color.

The prince survey his swiftly decaying men, a scowl, or what seems like a scowl, crossed his features. "It seems you've grown stronger, Andrea. Could it be because of a certain First?"

Andr's eye twitched as Rotger said 'First'. "And if it is?"

A crude smile formed on Rotger's malformed maw. "Then I'm gonna enjoy crushing you as he watches!" He laughed cruelly as moved at unnatural speed, picking Andr up by her head, lifting a muffled scream from her. "You hear me, "First" Witch!? I'm gonna crush this pretty little girl's skull, then pierce her heart with an Adminium blade! And all you can do is watch!"

Another scream was ripped from Andr's throat as light-blue blood began to leak between Rotger's fingers. With each scream from Andr, more and more rage filled my mind. "Cage…?" Lillith's voice was distant as my wounds began to heal, new and unknown magic filling my body.

I watched as Andr went limp, and when she did, my anger exploded…literally. The back wall of Lillith's shop was blown away from the building, slamming into the hulking prince. Andr fell from his grasp and hit the ground, unconscious but alive. As I walked to the battlefield I could hear myself reciting an incantation I've never heard before. "Nolite timere deos obsecro, da mihi potestatem puniendi insipiens inflata scissis stolidae superbiae. Ne portam, remissionis!" As soon as the final words left my mouth, nearly by shadows seemed to reach for me, stretching from their resting places. Soon a storm of shadow engulfed my vision, causing the world to be surrounded in grey. The plants and buildings all seemed to be ethereal, while Rotger seemed to be no more than a white specter, staring in my direction, fear rising from him like smoke. With a cruel grin, I dropped to all fours and lunged at my target, delighting in the prospect of destroying that Zombie's fragile psyche.

-Andr's P.O.V.-

I woke up back in Cage's lab, with Cage staring into the pen that held his pet Beholder, the young creature out like a light. Cage had long since begun raising the horrid beasts, and once he had gotten hold of the plant he needed, the process was much easier. For some reason, he had taken a liking to a runt that was about to be eaten by its siblings, and has been raising it since, the beast surprisingly affectionate. I sat up slowly, ignoring the pain, and walked over to Cage. "I still don't understand how you could like such an ugly creature."

My tease seemed to jolt him back to reality, causing him to jump. He gave a sad smile before opening the cage and lifting the beast into his arms. "Ugly is true. Beholders aren't the most attractive creatures, but they seem loyal enough." The beast's mouth opened, revealing it's main eye, colored by a silver iris. With a yawn, the beast lifted from Cage's arms and began to float about the room, eventually back into its cage and begun eating. I watched Cage as another sad smile crossed his features. "I'm really gonna miss him when I leave…"

Those words hit me hard, reminding me that he was leaving tomorrow. I could feel pain well up in my chest, making my heart ache. "Do you really have to leave?"

A pained look filled Cage's eyes, his voice cracking as he spoke. "Yeah. It's gonna be hard without everyone with me, but I'll have to manage. I mean, I have a family I need to return to."

Anger began to seep into the vortex of sadness that was my mind. "'Family'? You mean the people that almost killed you? On multiple occasions!?"

Cage's eye twitched. "Yes. I have to. It's my duty as a son to return to my parents."

Anger seethed from my voice as I spoke. "Your duty!? Your duty is to be here for your friends, your true family, not to go back to a pair of assholes who only used you!"

Cage's voice became dead calm. "My friends are perfectly capable of taking care of themselves. Besides, my issues back on Earth are none of their concern. I'll be able to handle it on my own."

"Just like you were able to handle a brush with death thanks to hypothermia!? Maybe you've forgotten, but I remember what I saw when I trawled through your memories. It seems to me that you need your friends more than you know! If you ask me, you would've died in that hospital if it weren't for your friends!" A magical pressure began to fill the room, but it didn't stop my rant. "Not only that, but now they're counting on you, just like you counted on them when you were in the hospital. They're counting on you to be their leader, but now you're gonna bough out on them?"

Those words were barely out of my mouth before he rushed me, pinning me to the ground and throwing up a field to keep me from teleporting out of his grasp. He glared down at me, anger and pain nearly overflowing from them. "Don't you think I know that!? Do you think it's easy for me to leave this place!? To leave behind the life I've always wanted, to leave behind my friends, all this progress!? Do you!?" Tears began to stream from his eyes. "It's not like I want to go back, deal with those horrid people, but…"

Memories flowed into my mind as I locked eyes with him, revealing what was truly worrying him; a prophecy. I could feel anger well up again, breaking his grip on me. I pushed him off of me then grabbed his shirt collar. "Tell me the truth! You want to leave so none of your friends will die, am I right?" We were silent for what felt like an eternity, tears continuing to fall from his cheeks. "I thought so. That's a stupid reason, considering, from what I saw, they'll live full lives before they pass, so you have no reason to leave." I stood. "But it seems I can't change your mind, so, leave then. If you can't face this fate head on, you have no right to be here."

With that I turned to walk out of the room and made it half way to the door before I was stopped in my tracks, an invisible force holding me in place. Slowly, I was spun around against my will, turning to face Cage. His head was down, hair covering his eyes and a visible aura of magic surrounding him. Static begun to fill the air as my natural instincts kicked in. "There is one other thing I'm afraid of in this prophecy." He said as he walked towards me, seemingly unaware of the static and the drop in temperature. "True, it has been said that two of my friends, along with myself will die violently many decades later in our lives, but there is one other loss I don't think I could handle." As he drew closer, the force's strength weakened, freeing me from its grasp. The moment I was free, I lunged at Cage, ready to defend myself from whatever attack he had planned. The attack never came, however, as he simply sidestepped my lunge and grabbed around the waist, pulling me close. Once again, I locked eyes with him, only there was no malice in his eyes, only a look that I never thought would be cast my way. A look that was so endearing, so loving that I could feel my anger melt away. "That loss…is you. I'll wind up losing you no matter what I do. So, there is only one thing I can do."

My mind began to waver as I continued to stare into his iridescent eyes. "W-What's that?"

A small, sly smile curled his lips. "This." As soon as the word was said, he pulled me into a passionate kiss. My body tensed as my lips meant his, my mind becoming a jumbled mess as a waterfall of emotion began to flow.

After a while, my body began to loosen up, my arms laying themselves across his shoulders. I pulled him in as close as I could, barely managing to keep my strength in check. A few minutes later, we finally broke away for air, looking into each other's eyes, a small smile curling my lips. Once we broke our embrace, I gave him a light punch on the shoulder. "It took you long enough. You have no idea how long I've been waiting for that."

Another sly smile formed on his lips. "I'd imagine you've been waiting for more than a kiss, I'd wager."

I could feel my cheeks heat up at his tease, many of the fantasies I've had over the past months coming to mind, only now, they seemed much more possible. My smile became one of seduction. "You'd wager right." I draped my arms over his shoulders again, looking him dead in his eyes, our thoughts, memories, and feelings flowing freely between us. "But, it would seem I'm not alone with feeling this way."

I jumped a little as he placed his hands on my hips, his touch seemingly electrifying. "You're right on that point. I've been in love with you for a long time now, but…" His voice was quiet and seductive as he spoke, his hands slowly moving up my waist, giving me chills. "I don't think those are the feelings you mean." With one motion, his hands left my waist and placed themselves onto my thighs, lifting me. A small gasp left my lips as he moved from the door to his desk, placing me on it before closing in for another kiss, pushing me back.

We stayed like that for what felt like eternity, reason fleeting from our minds. My hands slowly worked their way up Cage's back, and I was about to pull him down on me, I felt something off about his skin. "Hey, Cage?" The worry in my voice helped pull him back into reality. "What's wrong with your back?"

He stared at me for a bit before removing his shirt. Beneath the fabric were long, black burn marks covering the whole of his back and some of his chest. A small sob left my lips at the sight. "It was from the reactor earlier this morning." He began to explain, picking me up and carring me over to the bed. "I couldn't get a shield up in time to defend myself, so I decided to focus on protecting you first. The burn doesn't hurt anymore, but at the time it was excruciating. You were unharmed though, so it makes it worth it." I stood there, eyes wide and mouth agape as he spoke, the man in front of me making me love him more with every word.

With a single movement, I pinned him to the bed then straddled him. "I'll never understand why you'd put yourself through so much pain for me, but thank you." A small, seductive smile curled my lips as I removed my tank top. "Now," Cage's eyes began to shift color at the tone in my voice, "I hope you're as good in bed as you are with science, love, because you aren't sleeping tonight."

—

-Cage's P.O.V.-

For the first time in, what felt like ages, I woke up feeling great, satisfied, and, dare I say it, as though I had a home. I felt a light pressure on my chest and looked down, spying an Endergirl asleep, using my chest as a pillow. With a light chuckle, I wrapped my arm around her, causing her to wake up. My eyes were met by two violet jewels, a small smile forming on her lips. "Morning, Cage."

I chuckled again before responding. "Morning, Andr. Sleep well?"

There was a mischievous glint in her eye as she spoke. "Quite well, considering." While speaking she sat up and straddled me, revealing a good portion of her body. Her eyebrow raised as I stared. "Well, well. Seems someone is a little feisty this morning." She pretended to think for a moment, but I knew what was coming and my body was liking the thought. "We've got some time before the others wake up, so why not have a little fun?"

A seductive smile formed on my lips. "I don't see why not."

She pressed her body against mine and was coming in for a kiss, when an all to familiar voice spoke from near the door. "While normally I'd allow two young adults, such as yourselves, to have some privacy, it would appear you have limited time." Both of us shot up and looked over towards the door, my fears realized. By the door stood a man in a black suit and tie, eyes white as snow, and evil grin curling his lips. "Time's up, Cage Destrin."

-Chapter 14 End-

**_And so the year ends. As you can most likely see, although I can write the leading up to one, I am unable to write lemons. Not because I don't like them, but, rather, I'm not comfortable with writing them yet. I do practice on a personal story I'm writing, but I'm still not sure on it. That doesn't mean there won't be lemons in later stories, but none in this one. Now, with that explaination out of the way, I feel the need to tell you about a friend of mine who posted her story recently. Her name on here is RageMuffin009, and she just posted a story a couple weeks back, called "_****_Ethereal Shadow_****_". It's a Cyborg 009 fanfiction that's incredibly well written, and I may or may not have had a hand in it. If you haven't seen the anime, it's a great watch, but it's older so give it a chance. Well, I'll see you guys later. Hopefully, I can post the next chapter faster._**


	16. Chapter 15

**_Wow...okay guys, I'm so sorry it took so long for me to post this. I've been having trouble finding the time to write, and when I did I had no idea where I wanted this chapter to go. Thankfully I managed to finish it before another year passed. It's been a long time coming, but here it is. I hope you guys like it._**

-Gabe's P.O.V.-

Another quake shook the ground as Cupa passed a basket of apples down from the bottom branch of my Notch Apple tree, almost causing me to drop the basket. I flinched as one of the heavy, shining apples bounced off my head. "God damn it!" I cursed as I placed the basket on the ground, taking a bite out of the fallen apple. "That's the fifth tremor this morning. How many reactors are they going to destroy in one day?"

Cupa cast a glance over to the elevator, curious as to what was causing the tremors. "They might be having a sparing match. You know how those two are, constantly trying to learn each other's tactics."

I finished off the apple that had fallen on my head, tossing the core aside. "What ever it is, I wish they'd do it in a Dimensional Door. I'm tired of dealing with these quakes."

Cupa sighed. "You and me bo-" She was interrupted by the door of the elevator being blown from its archway. "What the hell!?" The two of us were up like a shot, running over to the elevator just in time to see Cage and Andr getting lauched from the archway, both in just a tightly closed lab coat.

Andr's face went bright red as she locked eyes with Cupa, the Endergirl and Creeper accidentally swapping information. Cupa's face became the same crimson hue as Andr's after a few seconds, dropping her head in embarrassment. "Cupa, what's wrong?"

My voice seemed to shock her back into reality. "It's Herobrine! He's here!"

A sinister voice reverberated from the elevator. "That I am." The deity emerged from the archway, a scowl etched across his features, his suit smoldering at the edges. "Though, I'm quite upset that your friend there singed my best suit."

I took a step forward, fists raised. "What the hell are you doing here?"

The deity regarded me as if I was a fly. "Why, to congratulate you on almost surviving a year here." A sneer formed on his lips. "And to offer my condolences to the deceased. It's a shame you and your friends had to die so close to the deadline." The deity lunged forward, a demonic laugh emanating from him.

The god swung at me, but I caught his fist with relative ease, the impact shattering nearby glass. "The only condolences that will be offered," as those words left my mouth, the scent of gunpowder wafted through the air, "will be given by your brother at your funeral!"

To solidify my point, I brought my other fist down on the deity's head, the force of the hit cratering the surrounding earth. I took a few steps back, never taking my eyes off the deity whose face was buried in the dirt. I jumped as he seemed to speak directly into my mind. "Are you so eager to die a painful death?" Herobrine lifted himself out of the dirt, his eyes glowing menacingly. "So be it. I'll gladly oblige you fools." In a flash, the deity was on me, slamming his fist into my gut. The blow drove the air out of my lungs, but I stood my ground, returning the punch, an explosion emanating from the point of contact.

As the smoke cleared, I had to stop myself from laughing. The god's hair was wrecked, sticking up in every direction, the tips smoldering. My friends were not as successful as me with stifling their laughter. Herobrine glared at them and materialized a mirror, looking at his hair. A look of pure rage distorted his features as he returned his gaze back to me. Without saying a word, the deity rushed forward, striking at me with the speed and precision of a professional boxer. It took everything I had to avoid his assault, weaving between his strikes. I was about to make an attack, when a lightning bolt caught the god in the side, sending him spiraling. I looked over at the source of the bolt to see Cage, now dressed in his normal clothes, sparks flying around him. "Don't forget, Herobrine," Andr appeared next him, an ominous aura about her, the whites of her eyes now solid black, the purple irises glowing brightly, "he's not your only opponent."

The deity was up in a flash, his white eyes glowing brighter than a pair of head lights. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Destrin!" A blast of energy rocketed towards Andr and Cage. I expeced the two of them to dodge, only for Andr to step in front of Cage and take the hit.

I heard Cupa gasp behind me as the energy detonated on impact. The concussion nearly knocked me off my feet and the resulting smoke enveloped my friends and the deity. Anger billowed up inside of me as I searched for our assailant, only for something to send a chill down my spine. The sound of static and an otherworldly growl could be heard in the midst of the smoke, the growl causing fear to prick the far reaches of my mind. Seconds later, an ear splitting thunderclap could be heard as Herobrine was launched from the smoke, obviously a bit more charred, but otherwise unhurt. Following him was Andr and Cage, the two them clad in a roiling lightning aura. Andr got the the god first, slamming a foot down onto the top of his head, another thunderclap sounding out. Herobrine's face was once again buried in the dirt, and, as he was lifting himself up, both the Endergirl and the First Witch laid into him with a barrage of attacks. Cage was unleashing spells of a caliber I have never seen, causing hail, brimstone, acid, lightning, and meteors to rain on the deity, while Andr seemed unphased by the spells that were obviously hitting her, and was landing blow after catastrophic blow on him, each hit sinking him further and further into the earth. After what felt like an eternity, the two of them finally brought their assault to a stop. Andr warped out of the hole she had created and stood at Cage's side, the static sound that surrounded her only growing in volume. A few seconds of silence passed before Cage spoke, his voice loud and commanding. "Let this be a lesson, Herobrine! We are not your run-of-the-mill mobs! We are not some pawns for you to discard when you've had your fun with them! We are the First, and although many of my friends do not share this quality, that does not make them less than us! Just now, you've seen for yourself the power we possess, but, knowing you, I'm sure your going to stand against us still. So come, Herobrine, and face a true struggle!"

Silence engulfed the area after Cage's speech, tension filling the area. I was about to walk back to the orchard when a flash of light erupted from the crater. We all shielded our eyes, and, once the light cleared, Herobrine could be seen at the crater's edge, his suit in tatters, but otherwise unharmed. "You know something, Destrin?" The deity's voice no longer had a cold edge, rather a smooth, respectful tone. "There's only been one other time in my lifetime that someone could've laid such a beat down on me." A rather distasteful look crossed his face as he spat, a gob of some golden liquid splattering onto the ground. "Now, another beating has been delivered, so I ask you this, Firsts," the god's lips curled into a smile, a smile that conveyed a challenge, "prove yourselves to me! Show me that you truly have a place in this world!"

Without another word, the deity flashed forward, driving a fist into Cage's gut, sending him flying. With a roar of defiance, Andr rushed for the god, only to be tripped and launched into the air like Cage before her. Herobrine turned on me and was about to speak when a familiar voice rang out. "Seems we got back just in time." My eyes snapped towards the voice, spying a grinning Shade, his aura rippling an unnatural speeds. "Looks like the last day of our years' gonna be a fun one!"

-Vincent's P.O.V.-

"Alright, that should do it!" I said with pride, gazing at my new blade. The blade seemed as though it was made of glass laced with Adminium, but it was a special Adminium/Soulinium/Voidnum alloy called Tyranium, thanks to Cage managing to synthesize another ingot of Voidnum.

Mina stared at the blade in awe. "It's so beautiful, but have you managed to neutralize the effects of the Adminum?"

A shot her a grin and picked up a shard of the metal and threw it out the window, hearing the shard connect with one of the ferals in the mob spawner in my forge. We watched with glee as the creeper that was hit fade into a white powder. "I think that's a yes. Now I just need to sharpen the blade and forge a sheathe with the slag."

Mina started heating up the forge. "I'll get started on making the sheathe. Start working on putting an edge on that blade." I watched as Mina placed the Tyranium slag into the forge, melting it down.

With a nod I stared sharpening the blade. I stared at the metal, figuring that a katana-style blade would fit it best. I had just finished the blade when a tremor rocked the forge. "The fuck was that!?" I was up in a flash, accidentally cutting my hand on the now sharpened blade. "God damn it! What's up with this blade? I barely sharpened it!"

Mina ran over and looked at my hand, both of us gasping at the severity of the damage. I not only cut my hand, but I had severed the tip of my middle finger at the first knuckle. I quickly grabbed a piece of Tyranium slag, using my Alchemy ability to create a new digit, then immediately burst out out of the door to the forge, searching for the source of the tremor. My brain struggled to comprehend the scene before me. Before me was several massive craters, each of my friends, battered and worn, all facing off Herobrine, who was equally battered. It wasn't long before Evelyn spotted me, the Ghast signaling. "Hey, Vincent! Mina! We could use some help!"

My eyes narrowed as I locked unto the deity, readying the new Tyranium blade. I was about to lunge when Mina stopped me. "Wait! Don't use that blade!"

I cast a glare her direction. "And why not!? This is Herobrine we're talking about here! Why shouldn't I cut loose!?"

Mina handed me a sheathe and another of my custom blade, a Grandenium/Titanium alloy, Gaiaium, blade. "Because you've seen how sharp that blade is. Whose to say that it's reach isn't longer than the blade."

After a few seconds, I reluctantly slid the Tyranium blade into the new sheathe and drew the Gaiaium blade. "You're right. I can't risk harming my friends...but should this blade break, I'm taking the risk to save them. Now then, I'm gonna cut Herobrine to ribbons!"

Once the words left my mouth, I rushed towards the deity, bringing the blade around, catching him in the side. The god grunted in pain as golden blood spilled from the wound. He rounded on me, a fist planting itself in my stomach. The force of the blow forced the air from my lungs and drove me back a few feet. "So," the deity said with a smirk, "another First has joined the fray. Come then, warrior of the Nether! Show me your strength!"

I brought my blade around as the last words left his mouth, catching his arm. The force of the blow carried him to the side, launching him into a nearby crater. He didn't stay down long before he came rocketing out of the crater, blazing gold sword in his grasp. The sound of metal on metal rang out as our blades collided, a shower of sparks flying from his blade. I met every blow from his relentless assault, the sparks surrounding us in a golden storm. Soon, our blades locked, each of us struggling to obtain the upper hand. With raw strength alone, Herobrine forced me down to one knee, and, with a twisted smile, he began pushing even harder, my guard starting to reach its breaking point. Just as I was about to give in, another blade came around and caught the deity in the shoulder. Herobrine lurched to the side, obviously not expecting the blade, giving me enough of an opening to break his guard, lunging forward and catching him in the jaw with the pommel of my blade. As he reeled back, I could feel my blade disintegrate and slip through my fingers. A harsh chuckled filled the air as my hand rested on the hilt of my other blade, Mina coming to my side, her blade already starting to dust. "Foolish warriors, no weapon can withstand my blade, it's flames will wear down any weapon to dust!"

I glared at Herobrine, slowly drawing my blade. "That may be true, but can it stop air?" With blinding speed I brought the Tyranium blade around, the point barely missing the deity's face. A few seconds passed, and just as Herobrine was about to say something, a deep cut opened up on his cheek, golden blood oozing from the wound. The being's eyes went wide with surprise as I rounded the blade on him, once again purposely missing my target. The blade of air cut a deep gash into his chest, causing him to cough up blood.

Herobrine roared in rage, flying at me, sparks flying as our blades connected. I pushed him back, slamming a foot into his chest. I was about to bring my blade down on his head when my body tensed, unable to move. The deity gave a sinister chuckle. "Having trouble moving? Here, let me help you!" Herobrine rushed forward, grabbing me by the throat and throwing me into our base. I went crashing through the wall, feeling multiple bones break.

I lay there, agonizing pain wracking my body, watching as Herobrine grew closer, grinning wildly. The deity lifted me up by my throat, blade poised right in front of my eye. "And so falls the Zombie Pigman."

I braced for the pain of death, but it never came. I slowly opened my eyes to see Cage standing behind Herobrine, arm outstretched, a ethereal rope binding the god's movement. Cage looked at me, tossing me my blade. I caught the weapon and kicked my way out of the grasp of the frozen deity. I could see Cage charging a massive spell, his arm becoming wreathed in unearthly flames. Staring intently at the being before me, I closed my eyes, focusing on his presence. My mind became eerily calm as I focused, discovering the Herobrine had made a clone of himself, and was sneaking up on Cage. My eyes snapped open right as Cage loosed his spell at the clone, dashing through the massive blaze, feeling the spell being drawn into my blade. My body moved of its own volition as I stopped, turning on one foot, absorbing the remainder of the ghostly flames into my blade. I cast my gaze towards the open air that I knew held the deity, my sword arm moving into an uppercut. "Moeru tori no katto!" erupted from my mouth as I followed through with the attack. As I brought the blade up, a wall of ghastly flames rushed forward, taking the form of a large bird wreathed in flames.

Cage and I watched in awe as the bird collided with an invisible Herobrine, exploding on contact. Once the smoked cleared, the deity could be seen standing in the resulting crater, his suit in shambles, golden blood dripping from his hands, rage filling his eyes. "I've had enough…!" Was all we heard as another wave of force launched us off our feet. As I staggered to my feet, I looked around for the god, eventually bringing my eyes skyward. Herobrine was above us, a massive orb of darkness above him. "I've done my trial, and I deem you unworthy to live in this world! Say goodbye, because you First end here!"

Cage and I stood defiantly, my sword held high and his arms held to the side, lightning and shadow surrounding him. "Your 'trial', Herobrine," I shouted, "is nothing more than you trying to prevent your own loss! You have no honor, dark one, and the honorless deserve naught but death!"

We could see his eye twitch as he brought his brought his arm up. "Fade into obscurity!" We readied ourselves as he brought his arm down, ready to face his attack head on, when both he and the orb froze.

We watched on as two long shadowy arms reached down from the orb, grabbing the deity round the neck. Herobrine's surprised gurgles could be heard as he was forcibly moved in front of the mass of shadow, two shining green lights appearing from the inside. "If anyone is going to fade," a voice said, anger easily heard within its hollow sound, "it will be you!" With those words, the arms dragged Herobrine into his own orb.

Seconds later, Jack popped into existence next to us. "Now, Cage!"

Cage nodded and quickly charged a spell. "Divino Sigillo!" He shouted as tendrils of golden light snaked towards the orb, covering it in golden light. "Sepulchrum Crystallo: Lapis Sortem!" I watched as the golden light faded away leaving behind a massive Adminium sphere, suspended midair. Inside, Herobrine could be seen, frozen with a look of horror on his face. As I gazed into the orb, I could hear footsteps behind me. Turning around, I saw my friends walking up, each battered and bruised.

Shade walked up to the crystal orb as it floated to the ground, placing his hand on its surface. "Have we done it?" He asked quietly. "Did we win?"

Cage looked around at all of us and jumped up onto the orb. "My friends, look at what we've accomplished. Look upon the being within the sphere. Look at all we've built, the friendships we've forged, the loved ones we've earned, the hardships we've surpassed! We've more than proven we belong in this world, and yet this person who has been labeled a god stood against us, in hopes of winning his little experiment. We stood against him and now he resides within this orb, trapped by our power. So I ask you my friends, do you think this is our home now, or do you want to return to that place that holds naught for us?" We all rasies a cheer to his speech, agreeing that this world was our new home. "My thoughts exactly. Now, we have quite the repair job ahead of us, so let's start by Shade taking first watch here."

"You can count on me!" Said Shade as we went to our duties in repairing our home.

-Terra's P.O.V.-

It took most of the day and almost all of our resources to repair our home. The fields were full of craters, the surrounding forest was in tatters, the main building was a ruin, the lab a was a burnt out shell, the apple grove was mostly ash, and the forge was nothing but a smoking crater. Despite the immense damage, we managed to puteverything back together again, returning the base to its former glory. I sat down next to the campfire near Herobrine's prison, surveying my home. "It really is impressive, huh?" I jumped a bit at the sound of Shade's voice, but smiled as he sat down next to me.

I laid my head on his shoulder. "Even more so that we were able to repair all that damage so quickly."

Shade chuckled, wrapping an arm around my waist. "Yeah, but with that speech Cage gave, it's not all that surprising." The two of us chuckled a bit and watched the sun set over the forest, the day eventually giving way to night. I was about to say something when I heard a loud crack from behind me.

The two of us were up in a flash, weapons at the ready. Large cracks were spreading around the sphere, an eerie white mist pouring forth. Seconds later, the sphere exploded, launching Shade and I back. We barely had time to react as we slammed into the ground, my head bashing into a rock. I barely held consciousness as Herobrine walked towards me, sliding into unconsciousness as he knelt, reaching towards me.

-Chapter 15 End-

**_And there you have it. So now I have a question for you guys, or, rather, a poll. I want you to choose which pair I write next. I have something planned for each grouping, but I want it to be up to you. Hears the list:_**

**_Cage and Andr_**

**_Robert and Skelly_**

**_Shade and Terra_**

**_Gabe and Cupa_**

**_Jack and Erica_**

**_Vincent and Mina_**

**_Peter and Evelyn_**

**_Its up to you guys. And thanks again for the support._**


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